THE newly opened Shell station located on Sergio Osmeña Boulevard, North Reclamation Area in Cebu City has elevated Shell’s standards of the “mobility destination.”
More than putting up a retail store that also carries “One Town, One Product” (Otop) items of Central Visayas, the Shell franchise owned by entrepreneur Rex Carampatana includes an art gallery that features 84 paintings made by five Filipino artists.
Some of the works are by Antonio Ylanan, who was the 2008 GSIS National Champion; Raul Agas, who is famous for painting using ATM cards instead of a brush; and Lamberto Acyatan, poet, sculptor and painter.
“This is the first art gallery in a Shell mobility station in the country, and perhaps in the world,” said Shell vice president and general manager Randy del Valle during its grand opening on Thursday, July 8, 2021.
This new Shell franchise is Carampatana’s sixth branch. His five other branches are located in Cebu and Bohol.
This is Shell’s second mobility station in Cebu City after the Shell station located along General Maxilom Avenue.
“This is a product of Rex’s passion to promote culture. You will have a lot of paintings to explore while you are in this mobility station,” said del Valle.
Carampatana’s personal painting collections are displayed in the two-story Shell’s Select store. Even the restrooms at Select have paintings displayed inside them.
Mobility destination
Del Valle clarified that Shell now is more than just a pumping station. The company has rebranded itself to be called a mobility company as it aims to fuel “everything that moves.”
“We’re evolving to serve not only those who drive vehicles but even those who walk or ride a bike,” he said.
The firm committed to evolve its retail business from a fuel station into a destination site as it creates mobility sites with more customer-centric offerings. It has formed alliances with international and local brands to turn each mobility station into a one-stop community hub.
Variety of local products
Shell’s Select store, for instance, not only carries essential goods but also a variety of local products. In fact, the company forged a partnership with the Department of Trade and Industry to become an enabler of local products, particularly during this time of the pandemic.
Shell can deliver products from its Select stores via Grab or Foodpanda.
Carampatana’s new Shell retail station offers five Cebuano-made food brands — Swirl Dessert Corner, Lola’s Kusina, Fruitify, Muku and Mr. Big Fry. It also carries bread and pastries with Mon Dough — a Cebuano-made bakeshop.
In terms of job generation, del Valle said the mobility format boosts employment as it requires more manpower from the usual 16 workers to 30 to 40 employees.
Such innovation, according to Cebu 3rd District Rep. Pablo John Garcia, is a welcome development for Cebu Province which is getting busier promoting local tourism and local products in the countryside through the Sugbo Negosyo program of Cebu Gov. Gwendolyn Garcia.
Shell, he said, has become a partner in tourism development as it offers clean stopovers for tourists during long-haul drives.
Of the 40 Shell stations in Metro Cebu, five have already been transformed into mobility destinations. More mobility stations are set to open in Cebu in the coming months.
Shell targets to open 60 to 80 new mobility sites per year. (KOC)