HALIFAX, Nova Scotia -- Wilsons, a major gasoline and home heating fuel retailer in Atlantic Canada and one of Nova Scotia's oldest family-run businesses, has unveiled a new brand identity to better reflect its evolution and continued growth outside of Nova Scotia.
Retail petroleum subsidiary Wilsons Gas Stops owns and operates 78 company service stations, 13 Wilsons Gas Stops and 65 Esso stations in partnership with Wilsons petroleum supplier Imperial Oil. The company also distributes gasoline to more than 200 independent retail stations in Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador.
"The brand refresh is a timely reflection of the company's overall growth," said Ian Wilson, president of the Halifax, Nova Scotia-based chain. "While our roots run deep in Nova Scotia, we have experienced significant growth in other markets across the country."
This growth has occurred in many areas, including the acquisition of Esso-branded gas stations across Atlantic Canada and the continued expansion of Wilsons branded retail gas stations and the Go Store convenience brand.
"We're very pleased that the new branding pays tribute to the iconic Nova Scotia flag by incorporating it into the logo," Wilson said. "We used the color blue from the Nova Scotia provincial flag as a subtle nod to our past, reinforcing our history and pride of place. While the Nova Scotia flag served us well in helping to differentiate our brand as a truly local Nova Scotian company, we felt that with our continued expansion into other provinces we would be better served with a more versatile logo."
The branding refresh applies to the Wilsons corporate word-mark and extends across all the Wilsons subbrands, with design updates for Wilsons Gas Stops, Wilsons Heating, Wilsons Security and Wilsons Plumbing Services.
The new branding “enables us to have one universal identity that communicates our brand in any market," he said. "Great care and attention was exercised to ensure the design was not a dramatic departure from our traditional logo. We paid close attention to leveraging qualities of the unique typeface to ensure we could carry forward our distinctive identity."
Over the course of 2019, Wilsons will transition the new identity across all lines of business, including fleet vehicles and Wilsons Gas Stops.
"Wilsons is one of Nova Scotia's most recognizable and trusted brands," said Nelson Angel, president of Haylo, the branding agency retained for this process. "We were very mindful of their existing brand equity, while nudging the Wilsons identity forward with a slightly more progressive and approachable feel."
Wilsons traces its history to a mercantile trade company founded in Truro, Nova Scotia, during the early 1800s.
Wilsons Heating is a major residential and commercial fuel and propane supplier in the region. Wilsons Security provides residential and commercial security solutions. The company also recently added Wilsons Plumbing Services.
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