Middle Eastern service station market shows strength at ReFuelForum MENA

International suppliers and regional retailers gathered in New Cairo to discuss trends and opportunities in the fuel and convenience market.

OLA Energy site in New Cairo — ReFuelForum MENA 2023

The Middle Eastern and Northern African fuel and convenience retail industry met up in New Cairo (Egypt) for two days of discussions, conferences and meetings. One month ago, ReFuelForum MENA 2023 brought together leading retailers from the region and international suppliers, showcasing the growth of the market and how digitalization, convenience and sustainability have become global trends.

Over two days, around 140 attendees had multiple meetings and saw presentations from ADNOC Distribution, Gilbarco-Veeder Root, ATIONET, e-Fuel Innomatics, OLA Energy, PMW, Shopworks, Local Knowledge and Megainsight.

“The buzz word at the event was Saudi Arabia, which has emerged as an important growth market for the fuel retail sector. A thriving economy, expanding population, rapid urbanization and a rising demand for fuel, presents lucrative opportunities for fuel retailers to expand their business in the region,” according to OpenRoom, organiser of the ReFuelForum events.

Headline Sponsor, Gilbarco-Veeder Root, was thrilled to be a part of this year’s edition. The supplier sees a lot of growth in the MENA region as retailers look for new revenue streams.

“The Middle East is a rapidly evolving market with many opportunities and challenges. GVR is committed to helping fuel retailers across the region deliver the best possible customer experience, while driving efficiencies and profitability into their businesses. We believe that ReFuel Forum MENA is an excellent forum for us to engage with our customers and partners, and to share our insights and learnings with the wide,” said Yemi Fatunla, Regional Managing Director at GVR MEA.

Joey Liew, VP of Business Development at ADNOC Distribution, spoke about the company’s recent acquisition of 50% of TotalEnergies Egypt, how the UAE-based company is focusing on digitalization and sustainability, and the need to switch from litre per site to dollar per square metre.

“Everybody is talking about shifting into digital, loyalty, c-store and shop formats. That is how I found that I can resonate with a lot of retailers and how common all our challenges are. This kind of forum allows us to learn from each other and face the challenge of how to remain competitive,” she told PetrolPlaza.

OLA Energy’s Corporate Head of Retail, Amged El Hanbali, agreed with the idea that more collaboration between retailers is needed. His presentation gave an overview of the transformation of the OLA Energy retail business and explored opportunities around mobility and service hubs.

“It’s not about competition anymore, it’s about collaboration. For example, all of us suffer from labour and training. In MENA we don’t have a big school that could train people for any transformation the retail business is going through. This collaboration could take place and help our business,” said El Hanbali.

On the second day, attendees visited an OLA Energy station in New Cairo that featured several fuel islands, a modern Marhaba c-store, a large service area, and three cafes and QSRs – Starbucks, Burger King and Krispy Kream – each with their own drive-thru.

Regional and international suppliers got to enjoy one-to-one meetings with retailers such as Oman Oil, ExxonMobil, Misr Petroleum, Chillout, Emarat and Petromin.

“It's always inspiring to see people coming together, sharing their experiences and making meaningful connections. This week for me was not only great for networking, but also for learning new things, gaining fresh perspectives and of course making new friends. We saw some incredible conversations and collaborations taking place,” said Ketan Kale, CEO of Innomatics e-Fuel Systems.

The next edition of ReFuel Forum MENA will take place in Abu Dhabi in February 2024.