IMPULSE convenience

The head of retail at Z Energy, Tim Bailey, has worked within the retail sector for the past 20 years, half of which has been with Z Energy.

y earlier career included working at Icebreaker during its transition from wholesaler to retailer, as well as New Zealand Post and Foodstuffs,” said Bailey.

Although Bailey has a finance background, his interest lies in the generalist role, leading the retail team at Z to support the 16 retailers who operate over 190 sites across New Zealand and manage around 2000 site staff across Z’s service station network.

more than just what the retailer offered but also how it was offered. Leveraging digital tools such as the Z App to offer a pre-order feature for customers to order their coffee before they arrive at a Z Energy site to ensure the coffee is ready and waiting for them.

Tim Bailey Head of Retail Z ENERGY

Consumers are increasingly searching for convenience. Therefore having the basics, such as the availability of good food and coffee, is a significant and integral part of what the retailer supplies to customers.

However, Bailey said there had been a shift to fresh and on-the-go food that could be consumed within 10 minutes of purchasing.

“Our customers want to be able to fuel up and grab a bite to eat, something to drink or do a small shop of essentials and avoid the supermarket all in one stop.”

Z Energy offers hot food, beverages, and other essential items like milk and bread.

He continued that convenience was about

Coffee has continued to be an area of growth for Z Energy, with the convenience of being able to grab a coffee and fuel up working well for many of our customers, coupled with the ability to pre-order coffee via the Z App so that it’s ready on arrival.

Following the pandemic, Bailey said Z Energy continued to see a rise in demand for healthy snacks, beverages, and on-the-go items.

“Z continues to respond with our expanding offer of fresh on-the-go food and drink options. Our new store design, which we are rolling out across many Z sites, is modular, allows us to be dynamic, and offers greater flexibility to adjust our stores as consumer behaviour evolves.”

However, with coffee being the retailer leading category, Z Energy has invested a significant amount into the category,