As in the case of the 100th refitted petrol station of the future, the star station in Flintbek. It perfectly illustrates that ORLEN Deutschland does not only invest in urban areas: with 57 square meters it is one of the smaller stations and Flintbek, with less than 10,000 inhabitants, is also one of the smaller cities. Petrol station partner Marc Wanke, who has been in charge of the petrol station since 2017, is enthusiastic about the makeover. The concept is clearly orientated towards the customer needs, he explains, and the team is also happy about the new work environment. Wanke operates a total of five stations for ORLEN Deutschland, including the star petrol stations in Flintbek, Neustadt/Holstein (Eutiner Straße) and Bad Segeberg (Gieschenhagen), all of which are now innovatively upgraded and redesigned.

The holistic concept combines refuelling and relaxing. The focus is on the food area designed in warm wood tones inviting to relax on various seating options - for every occasion and for all audiences. The offer includes a clear, expanded bistro range of hot and cold snacks. The co-branded coffee is a result of cooperation with the traditional coffee company Dallmayr. star’s private label products and self-service modules are also integrated.

A new type of digitisation also ensures that customers are better informed. Thanks to digital signage elements developed especially for star, such as the LED entrance portal that has already proven its worth, and, more recently, LED steles or LED screens on the petrol station roof, star continues to be the leading innovator in the petrol station and retail sector. An example of a noticeable feature are the real-time offers displayed all day long. With this form of category management, star distinguishes itself from competitors in the industry. For more efficiency and convenience, customers have access to digital services in the car wash section as well. The drive-in facility ensures shorter waiting times. Depending on the location and demand on site, other services such as ATMs and DHL packing stations are also available. Tank options for alternative fuels such as hydrogen are gaining traction as well. In urban areas such as Berlin and Hamburg, the refurbished petrol stations are equipped with fast charging stations with triple chargers for e-mobility.

After the refurbishment of 100 petrol stations, it has become apparent that expectations have been surpassed by far. The number of customers per station is increasing even more than at the beginning of the concept rollout, and they are also staying for longer. Disproportionate sales growth is evident in both bistro products and fuels. The high-quality coffee offered in cooperation with Dallmayr, in particular, breaks sales record after sales record, so that it is now experimentally offered as a pack for home. Nearly every second bistro location now has a turbo-oven, more and more locations offer lunch, and some are equipped with a full kitchen. 

Waldemar Bogusch, CEO of ORLEN Deutschland, says, “Given the size of our company, we are proud to have already refitted 100 petrol stations in a relatively short time”. “The success at these petrol stations shows that we have hit the bullseye with our future concept and fully meet the needs of a mobile society.” The refitting continues. In future, additional digital elements are to be integrated into the concept and the networking of all petrol station services will be expanded, Bogusch emphasises. Overall, star has more than 580 filling stations, mainly in northern, western and eastern Germany, and it is currently expanding to the south.

star is the petrol station brand of ORLEN Deutschland GmbH, which has been on the German market since 2003 and is operating more than 580 petrol stations. The company, which is based in Elmshorn near Hamburg, is part of the Polish oil and energy group PKN ORLEN S.A., which is the largest enterprise in Central Eastern Europe (CEE), with an annual turnover of EUR 25 billion in 2018.

PKN ORLEN is a leading player on the fuel and energy market and is listed in prestigious global rankings such as Fortune Global 500, Platts TOP250 and Thompson Reuters TOP100.

The Group owns state-of-the-art integrated infrastructure, capable of producing more than 35 million tonnes of various crude oil types per annum and of marketing its products through the CEE-region’s largest network of more than 2,800 modern petrol stations. PKN ORLEN’s offering includes over 50 top-quality petrochemical and refining products sold in more than 90 countries around the world on 6 continents. 60 percent of the company's revenues are generated outside the country.