JEDDAH, 2 June 2006 — The recent cut in fuel prices has made a positive impact on people’s behavior, according to a leading figure in the retail fuel business in Jeddah. Young motorists coming to petrol filling stations have become more polite than before when the petrol prices were high, Aslam Al-Rehaili, owner of Al-Rehaili chain of fuel stations told Arab News.
“Young people used to complain about the high fuel prices whenever they came to filling stations. Now the prices are down, they are happy and polite when interacting with the staff at filling stations. Their consumption has also increased,” Al-Rehaili said.
Aslam Al-Rehaili represents the third generation of Al-Rehaili, the pioneering fuel suppliers in Jeddah, with spacious filling stations on the Jeddah-Makkah Expressway and Jeddah-Madinah Expressway in addition to several stations in the city.
Al-Rehaili said: “Fuel stations are now crowded and motorists prefer to have their tanks filled to the capacity because the prices are affordable. Filling stations are also reaping more profits with the drop in fuel prices because the sales have gone up. The daily average of fuel sales has risen from 30,000 tons to 50,000 tons. A petrol station on a highway serves between three million to five million vehicles annually.”
Al-Rehaili, a veteran businessman, said that since 1980 Al-Rehaili fuel stations have had the concept of a ‘one stop’ facility — offering a range of services required by motorists such as repairs, servicing, cafeteria and retiring rooms.
Al-Rehaili said he never believed in business diversification as most businessmen do. He said his success has come by devoting his full attention to a single market and a single type of business. The peak business hours are in the morning and evening. Al-Rehaili expects to do a roaring business in summer as domestic tourists and visitors come to the city in large number during the vacation.
He spoke about expatriate workers who cheat customers by selling them adulterated petrol in jars outside filling stations.
