BP Global Growth with Foodservice and Technology

 

The convenience store that once was know as a gas station continues to evolve with consumer relevance today.  That relevance is at the intersection of Grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food and consumer focused technology, according to Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.

BP entered a global partnership with Uber Eats, that covers BP stores on the West Coast of the United States, as well as in Australia, New Zealand, Poland and South Africa. Once again highlighting the continued strength and demand for Grocerant niche Ready-2-Eat and Heat-N-Eat fresh prepared food worldwide according to Johnson.

Consumers want what they want and they want it now.  This new partnership with Uber Eats, aims to bring the delivery service to more than 3,000 locations globally by 2025. What this does is elevate the BP branded foodservice to top of mind status with local consumers.  That branded messaging will without doubt drive new electricity into BP brand and food and beverage options globally.

According to Johnson, “Brand relevance is in part driven with innovation in new food products in combination with new avenues of distribution all of which are the platform for the new electricity.” 

Johnson stated “that in my minds-eye the new electricity must be very efficient for the supply and includes such things as fresh foods, developing brands, unique urban clothing, grocerant positioning, fresh food messaging, autonomous delivery, cashier-less retail, plates, glasses, cash-less payments, digital hand-held marketing.

All retailers to survive the next generation of retail must embrace the artificial intelligence revolution while simultaneously embracing fresh food that is portable, fresh, with differentiation that is familiar not different. 

In a Battle for Share of Stomach

You Can Win

Since BP entered into a new global strategic convenience delivery partnership with San Francisco-based Uber Technologies that extends the companies' existing local arrangements to reach more consumers across the world industry buzz has already increased.

Leaders lead as the old adage goes.  This new partnership makes BP the first convenience retailer to team up with Uber Eats on a global level. The partnership supports the company's goal of growing its access to customers and expanding its delivery footprint in response to soaring demand for food, groceries and everyday essentials brought to the door, according to BP.

Emma Delaney, executive vice president customers and products, BP, stated. "We're thrilled to team up with Uber Eats globally giving us the opportunity to reach many more consumers online in addition to those who currently visit our retail sites. We've seen how the pandemic has accelerated customer demand for delivered convenience and this partnership will allow us to scale up quickly on the Uber platform. And for the first time, we will be able to offer delivery options to existing customers on our own BPme app by the end of 2023,".

 

In case you did not know, BP has 20,500 retail stores across the world and 550 million customers living within 20 minutes of one of those sites, the partners see opportunities for growth. BP stores offer a range of products tailored to local markets, which may include hot and cold drinks, food-for-now options as well as staple groceries, fresh produce and ready meals, plus wine, beer and flowers. 

For example:

·         In the U.K., customers will be able to access a range of Wild Bean Café, and other branded food and products via Uber Eats – with the first 120 sites due live on the platform by the end of June.

·         In the U.S., the offer will be made available to BP's network of independently owned retail locations to support the growth of their businesses. The goal is to make it easy for these partners to sign up to the Uber Eats platform and access benefits based on BP's scale.

Now according to BP, it will benefit from Uber's global brand and operations footprint, technology for dispatching orders and more than 4.4 million drivers and couriers on the platform worldwide.

So, as part of the agreement, Uber Eats and BP will work to introduce delivery options onto BP's app, BPme — initially planned to be available in the U.K., U.S. and Australia by the end of 2023 — powered by Uber Direct. The offer will allow BP to directly connect its customers to delivery riders.

Pierre Dimitri Gore-Coty, Uber's senior vice president of global delivery, stated, "With more than 20,500 locations around the world, BP's reach is enormous — making them critical partners as we pursue our ambitions of helping consumers across the world get what they need delivered to their doorsteps,"... "We are proud to support this next phase of the company's convenience growth through this delivery partnership and look forward to deeper collaboration in the future."

The two companies already work together in mobility with BP providing electric vehicle charging for Uber's ride-hail drivers. They said they will explore other areas for future cooperation in convenience, including opportunities to utilize low carbon delivery methods to fulfill orders from BP sites.

Success does leave clues. One clue that time and time again continues to resurface is “the consumer is dynamic not static”.  Regular readers of this blog know that is the common refrain of Steven Johnson, Grocerant Guru® at Tacoma, WA based Foodservice Solutions®.  Our Grocerant Guru® can help your company edify your brand with relevance.  Call 253-759-7869 for more information.