Platform for going “Beyond LPG”

Bharatgas of Bharat Petroleum Corporation Limited (BPCL) is a pioneer in identifying market trends early and has been a market leader in offering innovative value added products and services. Tamil Nadu & Pondicherry Bharatgas Distributors have actively contributed to BPCL in its marketing activities.

Bharatgas in an effort to nurturing a bond beyond LPG needs introduced the ‘Beyond LPG’ initiative, aimed at using the distributor network of the petroleum corporation The scheme has been put into effective use for marketing and delivering around 70 different kinds of kitchen and home needs at the doorsteps of customers along with the LPG refills.

Bharatgas regional LPG manager (in charge of four southern states) Mr. Kurian P. Chandy, in an article to The Hindu (dt. 17/12/2007), stated that it was not a profit-driven business but still the initiative was netting a turnover of Rs 170 crore all over the country. Despite all problems relating to LPG distribution, Bharatgas was growing at the rate of 10 per cent in the southern region consolidating its market position.
The initiative is only to make use of the emotional link that Bharatgas has with its consumers in reaching out to their kitchens. Through this initiative, mutually benefiting the distributors and consumers, Bharatgas is able to train its dealers/distributors in retail business entrepreneurship and in reaching branded quality products from a reliable source. The consumer is spared of the ordeal of visiting a store and checking for the purity and quality of the product since products came with the name of BPCL.
This is only a value addition in the service rendered by its distributors. Even in a liberalised LPG market scenario, Bharatgas customers would continue to have a strong bond with the distributors. BPCL has entered into an agreement with the manufacturers of the branded quality products thus eliminating middlemen and bringing products at a rate cheaper than the market prices. At present, it is marketing close to 70 items right that include consumer durables such as wet grinders, mixer grinders to FMCG products such as tea, oil and rice. The number of items offered from the shelf is being increased constantly. It may be noted that purchase of these items is voluntary and not owing to compulsion from the distributors in lieu of an LPG refill.

TNBDA in this website offers a link to the e-shopping experience on ebharatgas.com, allowing users to select and buy products and services from the member distributors, thus enhancing the “Bharatgas” customer experience.

Moreover, the idea, in the future, is to offer such a service in the regional language (Tamil) for better reach.