PetrolPlaza Talks #3: Fuel retail in Latin America in the era of COVID

The third episode of PetrolPlaza Talks – the first in Spanish – we gathered industry experts from Latin America to discuss the state of the service station industry in the COVID-19 era.

Latin America is currently the world epicentre of the pandemic with the highest ratio of cases. Argentina, with a low ratio of COVID-19 deaths, has suffered the longest quarantine in the world to the detriment of its economy. An increase in the number of cases has led to an extension of confinement rules in Chile, Peru and Ecuador over the last weeks.

Frank De Poli, Director Regional at Elaflex Latin America, a leading gas station supplier, spoke about the need for associations, suppliers and retailers to work more closely in order to bring the industry forward and be better prepared for the future.

The pandemic has put a stop to a number of investments but it has also accelerated some changes, according to Roberto Díaz de León, President of Onexpo Nacional. He also gave a summary of how the Mexican fuel industry has dealt with the pandemic and the challenges ahead.

Luis Carbone, Corporate Manager for Industrial Operations at Primax, the biggest gas station in Peru as well as a leading player in Ecuador and Colombia, gave some insights into financial supports received by the Government, the lessons learned from the pandemic and where they company is heading.