BP opened a new store in Warkworth today, marking the opening of the 89th BP Connect Wild Bean Cafe in New Zealand.
Located on Highway 1, 60 km north of Auckland and 100 km south of Whangarei, BP Connect Warkworth constitutes a new link in the transport chain between Northland and Auckland.
BP head of retail, Frank van Hattum, said the company’s approach to its NZ operations was about “delivering the best offer for the community”.
The new BP Connect Warkworth store will provide more than 20 part-time and full-time jobs to the local community and is expected to greet more than 250,000 visitors from Warkworth and surrounds every year.
BP Connect Warkworth offers widened lanes for easier in and out access, increased car parking spaces, improved availability of forecourt services, upgraded and expanded toilets, free Wi-Fi, phone charging stations and comfortable seating.
The 24-hour Warkworth operation will also feature a BP Superwash, high-flow diesel pumps and offer BP’s full suite of fuels across every pump.
“We are very happy that we have been able to expand our quality coffee offer into BP Connect Warkworth so that locals and visitors to the area can see, or rather taste, what all the fuss is about,” van Hattum said.
“Wild Bean Cafe is the number one retailer of barista-made coffee in NZ and we are proud to have used Fairtrade coffee since 2008.
“Customers can even take used coffee grinds home and use them on their gardens at no charge.”
The BP Connect Warkworth store will be added to the company’s national recycling program that saved around 700 tonnes of waste from going to landfill and 70 million litres of car wash water in the past 12 months.
The water recycling program means that during times of water restriction BP is able to keep its carwash open.
“This is an initiative that other retailers are yet to implement to this level or scale,” van Hattum added.
BP has also invested in bright energy efficient LED lighting to reduce the site’s power consumption and has installed heat pump technology that allows exhaust heat from air conditioning and refrigeration plants to be recycled and used to heat the building’s water, delivering a sustainable and cost-effective solution.
To celebrate the opening, BP Connect Warkworth is offering a five-day discount for registered AA Smartfuel cardholders of 10 cents per litre for up to 50 litres when a customer spends $40.
Entering its 48th year as a partner of Surf Life Saving NZ, BP distributed gift cards to each of the 74 clubs across NZ to help with fuel costs for the upcoming season last week.
On the price list front, BP has decreased its national price list across its company-owned stores.
Today’s decrease takes national unleaded 91 prices further below two dollars.
BP Communications manager, Shelley Brady, said decreases in refined product costs had enabled the company to reduce prices again
“We have seen some further reductions in cost of product and this, coupled with a slightly stronger kiwi dollar, has meant that we are in a position to be able to decrease our national list price.
“We always pass on savings to our customers whenever we can and we are happy to have been able to do that again today.
“We don’t know what the market is going to look like in the future, but we review our prices and the market every day and will pass on decreases whenever possible.”
BP national list prices as at 21 October 2015:
91 Unleaded 195.9 cents per litre
95 Unleaded 204.9 cents per litre
Ultimate 98 212.9 cents per litre
Ultimate Diesel 117.9 cents per litre
