Shop manager Michael Romijn (Q8 and Tango): ‘We want our Tango stations to be a real destination’

With almost two hundred stations, Tango is among the largest unmanned filling station formulas in the Netherlands. Responding to the current energy transition, Tango itself is also changing. More and more locations are getting Tango electric charging stations and in July, Tango surprised with the opening in Deventer of the first filling station with a branch of bread formula Bakker Bart. According to Shop Performance Manager Michael Romijn, it will not stop there. ‘We are showing that we are investing in service stations.’

Tango is on the verge of a milestone in the Netherlands. With a network of currently 194 stations, the formula is close to reaching two hundred locations. “It is a very nice number, but it is not an aspiration in itself,” says Romijn. “We are always looking at where we can grow, and if opportunities for new locations arise, we will certainly seize them if it is of interest to us. A number of new locations are planned again in the coming period, so we are taking a good step towards the milestone of two hundred Tangos. Which station exactly is the two hundredth? We don’t know right now, but when the time comes, we will make it a celebration and the Netherlands will certainly not miss it.”

With almost two hundred stations including seven motorway locations, Tango is one of the largest unmanned filling station formulas in the Netherlands. But the mobility industry is currently going through an unprecedented transition: the number of fossil-fuelled vehicles is decreasing to be exchanged for electric ones. Municipalities are introducing zero-emission zones and the number of charging hubs, locations where only charging is possible, is on the rise. Added to this are the predictions that the number of unmanned stations in our country will eventually decrease significantly. More than enough reason for Q8, owner of the Tango formula, to change locations where possible, let them join the transition and at the same time future-proof the formula through partnerships.

“For the first 20 years, unmanned refuelling for the best possible price was our focus,” explains Romijn. “In 2019, we launched the first charging stations. We saw that electric drivers were looking for a facility. This was the starting point for us to see how we could get a foothold with our locations with both refuelling and charging. We have since equipped around 30 stations with Tango fast-charging facilities. Shortly afterwards, we introduced the Tango electric charge card. This allows customers to charge not only with us, but also with many other providers. In 2022, we then came out with the Tango app, with a loyalty programme for extra discounts, with mobile payment, paid parking and a car-sharing option.”

Looking further

According to Romijn, developments in the sector make it necessary to look for new opportunities without kissing goodbye to the strength of Tango as an unmanned formula. In this context, two unmanned kiosks under the name go shop By Tango opened at Tango stations in The Hague and Schiedam in spring 2023. “The kiosks are no longer there, but we have learned a huge amount from how to offer on-the-go food and drinks at an unmanned location anyway,” says Romijn. “The knowledge and experience we are gaining with such shop concepts and with the realisation of loading facilities at our locations means we can successfully transform Tango into a future-proof formula.”

Another step the company took to respond to changing mobility was the opening last July in Deventer of a Tango fuelling and fast-charging station together with a branch of bread formula Bakker Bart. For both parties, the mobility hub is a first and, in addition, a real joint project, as seen, among other things, in the fact that the refuelling and fast-charging area and the Bakker Bart are literally connected by means of an awning. “The initiative for the cooperation came from within us,” says Romijn. “The retail transition currently taking place, where stations are turning into a meeting place where you meet up, have something to eat and drink and like to stay longer, obviously did not escape us. We were not only looking for a strong brand, but especially for a food service organisation with a lot of experience. Bakker Bart is such a brand with value.”

“Not only is Tango a brand for everyone, that applies equally to Bakker Bart. Everyone knows it, everyone comes there and you always get value for money. But more importantly, it’s a company that has their act together operationally. As Tango, we have great knowledge and experience of refuelling and loading and everything that comes with it. For its part, Bakker Bart knows everything about preparing and successfully selling bread products. That’s the combination we were looking for and the cooperation we think can tailor the opportunities that exist with retail at tank the locations.”

Meeting place

According to Romijn, the Deventer Tango refuelling and fast-charging location with Bakker Bart not only meets the growing need for electric charging, it also acts as a meeting place for travellers and the neighbourhood. The emphasis here is on convenience and hospitality. “We have taken a nice step in Deventer of what we think a full-service location should look like. Coffee is the most important part of the shop besides of course the fresh sandwiches. Coffee already sold Bakker Bart in some of their shops, but in Deventer it is literally even more central. Completely new is the sale of smokes. They obviously had no experience with that, but in tank shops it will remain an indispensable customer draw until 2030 so that’s why we offer it here too. Also new for them is the offer of impulse items, complemented by ice cream and non-food sales.”

According to Romijn, you can see from this that the Deventer Bakker Bart is not a standard establishment, but offers a mix of a luxury bakery with seating and toilets and everything you find in a petrol shop. “Both the customer who just goes to the Bakker Bart for a sandwich or cup of coffee, and the motorist who comes to fill up or load up feel at home,” says Romijn, who six months after the opening calls the results “above expectations. “Refuelling and loading customers, as well as people who come just for a sandwich, know how to find the station. Sandwiches and coffee are the runners-up. The classic shopping products are still somewhat less seen. We find that the need is there, but visitors don’t see the products because they don’t expect them at a Bakker Bart. People have to get used to the different set-up. As a result, we are now working on a plan to raise the profile and proposition of this range.”

More initiatives

Another new service with which Tango aims to attract additional customers to its mobility hub in Deventer is the installation of a parcel wall for the delivery, collection and return of postal packages. The company has partnered with De Buren for this purpose. “The Deventer location is the first Tango to have such a parcel wall,” says Romijn. “We offer this because we like to offer customers extra services. In addition, we have found that such a service generates a huge amount of extra traffic. People find it easy to pick up their parcel there and they almost unconsciously come to the mobility hub, a place where they might not otherwise come at all. Once there, the chances of them using something else during their visit increases. Parcel lockers are simply a huge traffic generator. With this, we create even more reason to go to such a station.”

Expansion

According to Romijn, Tango Deventer is the blueprint for more such locations. “For motorway locations, we have had a longstanding cooperation with Vissers Energy with the shops according to the Moments & More formula. Bakker Bart is the perfect formula for our local and non-highway locations.” And what about expansion of the formula? “The second Tango with Bakker Bart is already at an advanced stage. The permits have already been given, so we expect to open the second location this spring. Where this one will be, we’re keeping it a secret for now. But let me reveal that it will be in the south of the country. It won’t stop there either, because we want to grow to 10 branches in the next two years. We can do that too, as we continue to invest in our unmanned network and in full-service locations like in Deventer.”

Also read:

• Tango expands number of stations with Bakker Bart: ‘Important step towards future’
• Belgium gets two hundred Q8 and Storm full-service fast-charging stations