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By launching their "Petrol Package" project both companies have indicated that they are able to efficiently adapt to the demands and expectations of contemporary consumers.

Igor Irgolič, vice-president of Petrol, was very pleased that this deal had happened: "At Petrol, we are always looking for ways to meet the needs of our customers, which means we want to reduce the burden of some of their numerous, often time-consuming, daily errands and this collaboration of two relatively big companies should help that cause. This is definitely an important step for our company and, personally, I think this is just an indication of what the future holds." Vinko Filipič from Pošta Slovenije added: "I can say that this mutual service with our partner, Petrol, lives up to the slogan of the national postal service, 'reliability everywhere'. We feel that making it possible to send packages from Petrol's service stations will bring us even closer to our customers." Both Irgolič and Filipič agreed that this sort of cooperation was both logical and progressive.

It is now possible to send 4 different sized packages around Slovenia - small, medium, large and extra large - from any of ten, easily accessible Petrol stations with Hip Hop stores, which are conveniently located near highways and main roads. Unlike the standard postal service where you would be charged based on the weight of the package, the new service applies size-based charges - EUR 4.80 for the smallest package up to EUR 10.50 for the largest, although there is a 30 kg limit. Depending on the station's operating hours, all packages accepted before 5.30 pm (or as late as 8 pm in some instances) will be delivered the next day.

Testing the waters

Right now the service is still at an experimental stage, which will last until May when the initial results will be evaluated. If the new service proves to be a success then it will be expanded to include all Petrol's service stations across Slovenia, even those without Hip Hop stores.

"With effort, promotion and expansion to all the main stations, we expect this service to be heavily used by all our customers, especially those who do a lot of driving," Filipič explained.

The strategic plan is to extend 'Petrol Package' deliveries beyond the domestic market and to include other postal services, such as the so-called "Petrol Letter" service, which will allow regular mail to be posted at Petrol's service stations.