Convenience and mobility

Amoco

In October 2017, we announced the reintroduction of our long-standing Amoco brand to the US fuel retail sector – around a century after the first Amoco service station opened in Minneapolis, Minnesota.

Officially known as Standard Oil of Indiana, Amoco had by 1912 become the largest natural gas producer in North America, with a reach that stretched well beyond its home continent: exploration in 20 countries and production in 14 countries. Amoco produced 13 million tonnes of chemicals a year and was the world’s largest producer of PTA.

However, Amoco and BP merged in 1998, combining their worldwide operations into a single organization. Overnight, the new company, BP Amoco, became the largest producer of both oil and natural gas in the US. In 2001, BP Amoco changed its brand to simply ‘BP’.

The 2017 reintroduction of Amoco as a retail brand alongside bp is taking place in US cities with potential additional growth opportunities.

ampm

Across five states on the US’ pacific coast – from California up to Washington state – ampm is the highway retail-and-rest brand of choice for motorists. With all its outlets attached to ARCO stations, the brand is well-known for the quality of its food and drinks offer.

Since 1978 when the first ampm outlet opened to serve a snack-craved Southern California populace, the brand has grown rapidly by maintaining its commitment to quality and determination to offer the best selection on the open road.

Today, there are more than 1,000 ampm stores throughout the West Coast, serving nearly 2,200 different products.

Thorntons

Thorntons, founded in 1971 by James Thornton in Clarksville, Indiana. Its formats range from traditional fuel and convenience stores, stores with expanded kitchen formats and Travel Centers.

The original 1971 site featured a kiosk building and a full-service attendant. In the 1980s, Thorntons transitioned from kiosk locations to convenience stores and grew to over 100 locations.

In 2019, Thorntons was sold to a joint venture between ArcLight Capital Partners and bp, which in 2021, acquired ArcLight’s share to fully own the convenience store company. Thorntons, now in more than 200 locations, is a sister chain to bp-owned ampm; the two chains do not overlap.

TravelCenters of America

Founded in 1972 and headquartered in Westlake, Ohio, TravelCenters of America (TA) is a network of more than 280 sites with 18,000 team members across 44 states, principally under the TA, Petro Stopping Centers and TA Express brands.

TA offers a full range of facilities for vehicles and fleet trucks, including more than 600 full-service and quick-service restaurants, as well as truck maintenance and repair services.

In May 2023, bp acquired TA for $1.3 billion. Located on major highways across US on sites averaging 10ha (25 acres), TA is set to complement bp’s existing off-highway US convenience and mobility business.

Around 70% of TA’s total gross margin comes from its convenience services business, almost double that of bp’s global convenience gross margin.