Lekkerland is to operate its own petrol station at the Aral site: ‘To understand customers’ needs even better’
From 1 October, Lekkerland will operate its own petrol station in order, as the wholesaler states, ‘to gain first-hand insight into the needs of customers in the petrol station sector’. The station will be operated at an Aral petrol station site, just west of Cologne.
This move by Lekkerland, a subsidiary of the Rewe Group, is explicitly described as a learning process and not as a commercial change of direction. “We want to understand the needs of our customers in the petrol station sector even better so that we can develop even better solutions for them,” says Wolfgang Cezane, vice-president for SMEs at Lekkerland. “As an operator, this will allow us to experience first-hand the economic, operational and staffing conditions that shape the petrol station industry.”
The station on Kölner Strasse in Frechen will be operated under the Aral brand, Germany’s largest petrol station chain. The premises are leased from the local operator, W. Kleffmann. The site will offer Lekkerland’s standard convenience range, supplemented by coffee, hot and cold snacks and ready meals. A car wash and workshop on the same site are operated by third parties.
Close to head office
The petrol station is situated close to Lekkerland’s head office, where the company already houses the ‘Convenience Foodservice Academy’ and the ‘Convenience Experience Centre’; these are training facilities that combine theory and practice for both customers and staff.
Lekkerland supplies the full range of retail products to W. Kleffmann’s existing stations, meaning the new lease agreement deepens an already existing partnership. The company serves around 40,000 outlets across Germany and, as part of the Rewe Group, reported a turnover of 10.3 billion euros in 2025.
Read also:
- Frischwerk retail concept launched at Achilles Brandstoffen Maatschappij petrol stations
- Aral opens a pilot site on the A7 in Northeim featuring Rewe To Go, a lorry drivers’ lounge and a fast-charging hub
- Rewe To Go opens its first motorway convenience store in partnership with Tank & Rast
