Motorway Services Online

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BP: Difference between revisions

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* [[Swansea West]] (M4)
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[[Category:Brands]][[Category:Moto]][[Category:Welcome Break]]
[[Category:Brands]][[Category:Moto]][[Category:Welcome Break]]

Revision as of 22:42, 18 October 2021

bp
bp
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Many more photos in the gallery
Locations:157 services
Predecessors:Esso, Shell, Total, Mobil
Successors:Esso, Gulf, Shell
Official Website:
www.bp.co.uk

BP (usually stylised as 'BP') is one of the world's most famous fuel brands. On Britain's motorways, they are the most common fuel brand: often BP filling stations will be managed by another operator, but there are plenty of forecourts and even whole service areas managed by BP themselves.

The brand has seen many changes, going from the green shield 'British Petroleum' (once majority-owned by the British government) to the Helios 'Beyond Petroleum', and now a new era where they focus on retailing and their electric vehicle charging brand, 'bp pulse'. They have been involved in many initiatives along the British road network, but are currently stuck at a crossroads where the product most closely associated with BP - oil - is no longer fashionable.

The 1980s was an important period for fuel retailing. BP reviewed their estate, and created a new 'mid-range' layout, which would have a large petrol station and space to attach a restaurant. Many of these would be built along new bypasses and busy A-roads.

Meanwhile, now that motorway service areas were only selling one brand of fuel, Mobil had become a common choice for Granada. This was merged with BP in 1996, meaning BP is now closely associated with Moto today. The merger also applied BP's branding to Mobil's many A-road developments, some of them very large.

BP Connect

BP express 1998.
A BP Express garage in 1998.

See also: Corporate Sites

Forecourts which are run by BP (known as 'corporate sites') are known as 'BP Express'. These feature a shop which is usually branded 'BP Connect' (previously 'BP Express Shopping').

Many BP Connect shops have since been replaced by M&S Simply Food stores, under a franchise agreement under which BP pays for all the goods they sell. This has still proven important to BP, as they find that the M&S brand brings people into the forecourt.

Wild Bean Café

See also: Wild Bean Café

Most BP Express-owned forecourts feature the Wild Bean Café, an own-brand café selling snacks and coffee.

BP Pulse

BP Pulse (usually stylised as 'bp pulse', in keeping with BP's recent phobia of capital letters) is one of the UK's largest electric vehicle charging networks.

It was originally called Chargemaster, and was acquired by BP to become 'BP Chargemaster'. As well as providing charging facilities at BP forecourts, they are manufacture chargers for other retailers, homes and workplaces. BP sees charging facilities as a major part of the company's future.

Motorway Operator

In the 1970s, BP were encouraged to bid to run entire motorway services. They bid unsuccessfully for Michaelwood in partnership with Shell, but did win Anderton and Killington Lake. They then decided to lease the main facilities at those two to other operators.

BP had a further stroke of luck in the 1980s, when their existing site at South Mimms was chosen by the government to serve the new M25. BP provided a new forecourt, but leased the main building to Trusthouse Forte.

They later acquired one more motorway service area at Harthill, although this one only operates as a forecourt.

BP Truckstops

The brand 'BP Truckstops' was launched in the late 1980s, promising "a new standard for truck drivers". After struggling for some time, in 2002 those that were left became Nightowl.

BP Truckstops sites included:

Motorway Locations

BP operate at many service areas. They are: [view on a map - Download KMLrefine search]

A-road Locations

Old BP logo.
The pre-2001 BP logo.

BP operate at the following signposted A-road service areas:

Former Locations

BP used to be found at the following signposted services:

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