- New offer to be piloted at 10 stores and feature fresh, quality, made-to-order, hot food personalised to customers’ tastes.
- Evolved offer created to reflect changing habits as customers spend more time on forecourts with the transition to electric vehicles.
- Pilot builds on success of two proof of concept Wild Bean Cafes launched in 2023 and is the result of in-depth research into changing consumer behaviour.
bp is piloting a new and improved fresh food for now offer, that can be personalised to customers’ tastes, at 10 of its Wild Bean Cafes in the UK. The new offer supports bp’s drive for convenience growth by giving customers on-the-move, tasty, made-to-order hot food options and quality coffee, and joins classic Wild Bean Cafe menu items like the sausage roll and cheese & bacon turnover.
Jo Hayward, VP convenience Europe, comments: “We have been serving customers on the move for decades and are committed to meeting their evolving needs. As the energy transition progresses, we anticipate shifts in consumer behaviour, with customers spending more time on our forecourts charging electric vehicles. Our research has told us that these customers want great quality, tasty fresh food options and hot drinks when on the go – and that’s what we are giving them, when and where they want it.”
With over 50 percent of bp’s customers in the UK now visiting its retail sites on a shop only mission, investment in new food offers is helping to meet their changing needs. This pilot is an evolution of the current Wild Bean Cafe heat-to-eat offer and builds on the learnings from a proof of concept made-to-order food offer that was tested at bp’s retail sites in Holborough and Byron in 2023. bp saw double digit increases in total Wild Bean Cafe food sales in the proof of concept cafes.
The new food for now proposition includes a broader range, improved breakfast offer and expanded lunch menu. It will be available at 10 Wild Bean Cafes in southeast England by the end of April 2024 and will continue to evolve throughout the pilot as bp receives customer feedback.
The core hero range consists of the most popular menu items from the proof of concept cafes in Holborough and Byron. These include the fish finger sandwich (available on both white and rye bread), the avocado, halloumi and egg bap, the crispy herby chicken burger and the best-selling big breakfast bap. The made-to-order breakfast and lunch options are also customisable to customers’ unique tastes, like switching up mild mustard mayo for spicy gochujang ketchup, choosing rye or white bread, or requesting a runny egg yolk.
Customers who visit these stores will benefit from a variety of promotions, including breakfast and lunch, quality food and hot drinks bundle deals and a sweet treat deal. BPme loyalty card users will also enjoy special offers, including five times bonus points when they purchase the new made-to-order Wild Bean Cafe range.
Convenience is one of bp’s five strategic transition growth engines, along with EV charging, hydrogen, bioenergy, and renewables and power. By 2030, bp aims to double its convenience gross margin with 10 percent year-on-year growth and increase its number of strategic convenience sites globally to more than 3,500.