Sales at BP Gas Stations Are Improving

Here’s an interesting tidbit from The Washington Post’s story today on whether BP can rebrand itself following the massive oil spill in the Gulf: apparently consumers are going back to BP gas stations.

According to the Post, some stations in the Gulf saw their sales drop 50 percent after the spill. Now, the Post says, sales are down about 10 percent in the Gulf and even less in the rest of the country.

The Post checks in with John Kleine, head of the BP Amoco Marketers Association, a group that represents the owners of BP gas stations:

Kleine, who calls the station owners “investors” in BP’s brand (their only link with the company is contracts to buy gasoline), said they began facing angry protests after the spill and turned to BP for help. The company gave them signs and took out print and radio advertisements emphasizing that the stations were locally owned and operated. At some stations BP helped the owners do customer appreciation campaigns with free car washes and cups of coffee. Corporate staffers flew in to stand in driveways and listen to customers’ concerns, Kleine said.