HPCL''s quality commitment

S P Chaudhry, executive director, retail business unit, Hindustan Petroleum Corporation Ltd (HPCL) outlines the state-owned oil sector giant's aggressive retail strategy. The corporation is rolling out additional 750-800 outlets in the country and has earmarked around Rs800 crore towards capital expenditure retail development.

The company is also stressing on IT and automation of retail outlets. In an interview with Sajeev Nair, Chaudhry says that the entry of private players would not affect this Navaratna. Excerpts:

HPCL was among the first in the country to introduce a co-branded card. How is it faring?
We have notched up a customer base of over 8.5 lakh for our co-branded credit card between HPCL and ICICI. This card has the highest customer base and has been recognised by VISA as the fastest growing co-branded card in India.

Our 'Club HP Smart 1' pre-loaded card has a customer base of 2.5 lakhs. HPCL has also launched `Drive Track', a fleet card covering over 400 outlets along the Golden Quadrilateral routes and seven major highways. The card caters to the diesel requirements of fleet owners and large transport companies, which traverse on these routes. Our total card base has grown to over 1.2 million users, which is a testimony to the value HPCL provides to its customers through these card programmes.

With Club HP, we have created a customer-centric retail brand. The promises, which are delivered under the brand, are focused to delight the customer at the point of interface, which is the key to build a loyal customer base.

What has been HPCL's experience in driving growth in non-fuel business segments?
HPCL has built a profitable non-fuel business through a wide range of value-added facilities, including ATMs, take-away food counters and vehicle accessories among others. The business is being managed through tie-ups with entities including Cafe Coffee Day, Dairy Den, Western Union and US Pizza.