BP Europa and Lekkerland extend convenience partnership in Germany

BP Europa SE and Lekkerland SE are continuing their convenience partnership in Germany with an extension of their exclusive five-year agreement. The focus is on expanding the REWE To Go stores across Aral retail outlets, the retail brand of BP in Germany. The agreement represents BP’s largest European convenience supply pact. It unites Germany’s leading forecourt brand with a top-notch convenience specialist to bring quality food and beverages to customers on the go. 

The collaboration encompasses the constant evolution and implementation of the REWE To Go at Aral concept. BP’s role includes developing new food service offerings and managing the sites. The energy giant plans to innovate the food service areas in the stores, trial novel offerings, and introduce fresh concepts to revolutionise the customers’ convenience experience, all in conjunction with Lekkerland.

Lekkerland, a REWE Group company and a leading trade and tourism group in Germany and Europe, exclusively supplies a majority of the products in stores across Aral’s network of 1,200 company-owned retail sites in Germany.

Jo Hayward, BP’s vice president of convenience Europe, expressed excitement about continuing the partnership with Lekkerland and further refining the REWE To Go at Aral concept.

The convenience sector in Germany is experiencing a boom, with consumers increasingly opting for on-the-move meals and top-up grocery shops. As the energy transition advances, the duration of customers’ visits to sites for electric vehicle charging will likely increase. BP intends to constantly enhance its offerings to meet these evolving needs, thus transforming forecourt convenience with new product ranges, store layouts, and digital solutions.

In 2014, the pilot project saw the opening of 10 REWE To Go stores. Today, the store concept has extended to more than 850 Aral retail outlets, with plans for further nationwide expansion.

Lekkerland CEO Patrick Steppe stresses that the partnership focuses on delivering the best convenience shopping experience for customers. REWE To Go is now one of Germany’s leading convenience formats, with an aim to expand this standing in the forthcoming years.

REWE To Go stores offer customers an array of high-quality coffee specialties, delicious snacks, and fresh foods such as salads, wraps, and desserts. It also features a regular product range expected at Aral retail sites, including car care items and lubricants.

Over the past couple of years, REWE To Go has seen the sale of more than 34 million brötchen, 7.5 million bockwurst snacks, and nearly three million gouda crossinos. Additionally, top-up grocery shopping is now prevalent in Germany, with 80% of consumers doing it at least once a week.

Achim Bothe, Aral CEO, envisions the potential of the convenience sector in Germany. He predicts an increase in REWE To Go stores across the Aral network to around 900 by year end.

BP aims to raise the number of strategic convenience sites globally from approximately 2,450 today to more than 3,500 by 2030. In Germany, Aral plans to expand its ultra-fast charging network from more than 1,600 charging points today to well over 5,000 by 2025.