TULSA, Okla. -- Joining the ranks of gasoline suppliers hoping to land contracts to supply the more than 1,800 CITGO stations that will be debranded over the next year is Finish Line Fuels LLC.
With over 70 new locations throughout Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri and Arkansas sporting the Finish Line image, we have positioned ourselves to offer other marketers a solution that we are taking advantage of, said Kevin Dudley CPA and operating manager for the Tulsa, Okla.-based company.
He added, This alternative solution will be made available [image-nocss] to all CITGO marketers. We don't want to act like a major oil company and will not attempt to control a marketer's or dealer's business. Finish Line has a competitive pricing structure that will compete with big-box retailers, and a first-class credit card program.
Jeff Beach, Finish Line's national marketing manager, said, Marketer's want a great looking economical image, stable supply, no long-term commitments and foremost, a competitive price, Finish Line has [all that].
Distributors will be able to purchase product priced in relationship to OPIS Spot postings, enabling them to compete aggressively, Finish Line said. Also, Finish Line has negotiated an agreement guaranteeing excellent credit and debit card processing fees, it said. Finish Line has straightforward contracts with no irrational requirements, said the company.
With CITGO exiting the Mid-Continent region by March 2007, petroleum marketers are looking for new branding. As reported in CSP Daily News, others that have openly shown an interest in being that new brand include Clark Brands LLC, Double S Petroleum Ltd., Tesoro Corp. and Valero Energy Corp.
Houston-based CITGOowned by PDV America Inc., an indirect wholly owned subsidiary of Petr aleos de Venezuela S.A., the national oil company of the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuelasaid it will shift its marketing footprint toward the East and Gulf Coast regions and stop selling fuel in Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma and South Dakota. A limited number of stations in Illinois, Texas, Arkansas and Iowa will also be affected.Members help make our journalism possible. Become a CSP member today and unlock exclusive benefits, including unlimited access to all of our content. Sign up here.