{"id":101681,"date":"2017-06-19T09:45:43","date_gmt":"2017-06-19T13:45:43","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/depquebec.com\/?p=101681\/"},"modified":"2017-06-19T11:07:24","modified_gmt":"2017-06-19T15:07:24","slug":"ultramar-the-no-1-gas-brand-in-quebec","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/depquebec.com\/en\/ultramar-the-no-1-gas-brand-in-quebec\/","title":{"rendered":"Ultramar: The No 1 Gas Brand In Quebec"},"content":{"rendered":"

Gas is gas, we often hear. But then, if so, does the brand play a role and if so, does it have an effective appeal and loyalty effect over consumers?<\/p>\n

The answer: of course! The gasoline brand as well as the convenience store banner play a major role and that is why it occupies such a prominent position in the market.<\/p>\n

The brand does a lot of things: it attracts consumers, reassures them about the quality of the products and services offered and distinguishes the proposed offer from the competition.<\/p>\n

And the brand is not just aimed at consumers: it also targets operators and owners!<\/p>\n

If you had to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in a gas station, would you go with a known or unknown brand?<\/p>\n

In a recent public communication to its shareholders to highlight the benefits of its new CST asset acquisition in Quebec (which can be found on the Internet here<\/a>), Parkland Fuel Corporation<\/a> presented some interesting facts about the notoriety and popularity of gasoline brands in Quebec and how these can represent a significant competitive advantage in the marketplace.<\/p>\n

There are four major brands in Quebec, all of which belong to major oil companies: Ultramar <\/a>(Valero Energy<\/a>), Esso <\/a>(Imperial Oil<\/a>), Petro-Canada<\/a> (Suncor Energy<\/a>) et Shell<\/a> (Shell Canada<\/a>). Of these brands, two are international (Esso <\/a>and\u00a0Shell<\/a>), one Canadian (Petro-Canada<\/a>) and the last, but not the least (Ultramar<\/a>), is found only in eastern Canada (Ontario, Quebec, Maritimes) .<\/p>\n

As indicated in the following table, this brand portfolio contains the most popular and well-known brands in Quebec. However, of all the brands, it is Ultramar<\/a> that stands at the number one brand, the one that enjoys the strongest notoriety.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Source: Commissioned research conducted by Ipsos of motorists in Qu\u00e9bec in December 2015. Sample size of 802<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The notoriety of these brands naturally goes hand in hand with the number of points of sale.<\/p>\n

According to the DepQu\u00e9bec gas brand ranking\u00a0<\/strong>dated March 2017 (and which will be updated shortly), the number of gas stations (excluding garages) by brand in Qu\u00e9bec is as follows:<\/p>\n