SAN ANTONIO, Texas -- Valero Energy Corp. is introducing a new mystery shopping program throughout its wholesale network of branded stores, company officials said. Under the new program, called Commitment to Excellence, each of the company's Valero, Shamrock and Beacon branded retail locations will be evaluated three times a year using the same form and criteria.
The Commitment to Excellence shopping program is designed to give branded marketers an objective look at their stores from a consumer's perspective. As such, it focuses on areas open to consumers' access and awareness [image-nocss] that can directly influence their overall impression of a location and the quality of their shopping experience.
Valero has partnered with Maritz Research, a leader in the mystery shopping field, and its nationwide network of auditors to evaluate its stores. Maritz will also maintain Valero's Commitment to Excellence website, which will provide marketers access to reports ranging from individual site results to aggregate scores for all stores within their operation, frequently missed questions and more.
San Antonio, Texas-based Valero is an international manufacturer and marketer of transportation fuels, other petrochemical products and power. Its assets include 14 petroleum refineries with a combined throughput capacity of approximately 2.6 million barrels per day, 10 ethanol plants with a combined production capacity of 1.1 billion gallons per year and a 50-megawatt wind farm. Valero is also one of the largest retail operators with approximately 5,800 retail and branded wholesale outlets in the United States, Canada and the Caribbean under the Valero, Diamond Shamrock, Shamrock, Ultramar and Beacon brands.
To find out which retailer won the 2011 CSP-Service Intelligence Mystery Shop, watch for the August issue of CSP magazine.
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