Since rebranding from Shell to Z Energy in 2011, Z service stations have been evolving their in-store offer to cater to the changing needs of consumers across New Zealand.
There are 197 Z service stations across New Zealand, spread across towns, cities, and state highways. They are conveniently located within local communities and provide consumers the ability to park on-site, offering the option to both re-fuel their cars and themselves at the same location.
Abby Irving, Head of Convenience Retail at Z, said since Covid they are seeing more of their customers ‘living local’.
“Communities have become increasingly important since the pandemic began given people were unable to leave them for relatively long periods of time during lockdowns. The role of Z’s retail network in particular became much more important for neighborhoods and communities as a safe, convenient way to buy food, coffee and household supplies such as bread and milk without having to confront a socially distanced supermarket.”
Irving said they have seen this trend continue as lockdown restrictions have eased and have recorded growth of 17 per cent in food and 12 per cent in coffee sales in 2021.
Irving said Z will continue to grow in 2022, revealing they are currently going through a “refresh” of their sites, working on updating the design, layout, and food and beverage offering.
“With fewer people travelling across the country and no international tourists, our highway sites have been impacted since the emergence of Covid. While this has been something beyond our control, we have taken the opportunity to prioritize some of these sites as we begin our refresh of the next generation retail stores. This will mean they are ready with a new layout and design to welcome customers back as restrictions ease.”