Tamoil SA is one of Switzerland’s leading oil companies, with annual sales of around 1.2 million tonnes and a turnover of 1.1 billion CHF. Until recently, it ran one of Switzerland’s two refineries, at Collombey, but decided in March 2015 to suspend operations, as current conditions made the continuation of operations unsustainable.
Over recent years the Swiss market has undergone significant changes, resulting in a challenging environment for all operators in the domestic oil business. The company has responded with increased efficiencies, new partnerships and carefully targeted investment. In line with Group strategy, it plans to maintain and develop its presence in the retail and wholesale sectors of the Swiss market, where it currently has a nationwide network of regional distributors, 14 tank farms and a total storage capacity of 1.3 million m3.
In retail, the company operates a network of 240 service stations, 104 of which have convenience stores; overall, Tamoil SA has a 11.2% share of the Swiss market. In a climate of aggressive price competition and negative market growth, the company has been focusing on developing incentives to protect market share, and improvements in its convenience store operation, to boost earnings from non-fuel sales.
Between 1992 and 2008, Tamoil SA built up a network of affiliates, acquiring 16 local jobbers to enable sales – mostly of heating oil – to end consumers. From 2009 onward, the network was streamlined and consolidated into five wholly owned subsidiaries.