Gas stations are becoming a new "retail touchpoint".
On September 5, 2026, Ohmee Express officially launched its first 2 points at the Petrolimex system in Hanoi. From an FMCG & Retail perspective, the most interesting thing to me is not "opening another convenience store", but the business model behind it.
⛽ Fuel + Convenience is creating a very clear occasion: Refuel → Stop → Buy quickly → Refuel → Continue the journey. And this is where FMCG can create huge value.
1️⃣ From "traffic" to "shopping occasion" Petrolimex possesses an advantage that many other retail models have to spend a lot of money to build: traffic and location. Every time a customer visits a gas station is an opportunity to generate additional needs:
🥤 Beverage
⚡ Energy Drink
🍪 Snacks
☕ Coffee
🥪 Fresh Food / On-the-Go Especially for drivers, commuters and customers with long journeys, the need to "buy quickly - use now - keep moving" is very clear.
2️⃣ Snack & Beverage can become a “hero category”
I'm especially interested in the Beverage + Snack group in this model. Don't just sell a bottle of water or a snack pack.
It's about building a Mission Basket for each journey:
Hydration + Energy + Quick Bite
For example:
1 bottle of HISO + 1 pack of RECREC + 1 beverage/coffee
→ a small basket but with the right needs, at the right time and capable of creating incremental sales on the same traffic.
This is a very different mindset than simply “putting more SKUs in the store”.
3️⃣ Retail wins with occassion, not just assortment. A good convenience store doesn't necessarily have tens of thousands of SKUs. More importantly: The right person
× Right time
× Right for your needs
× Right price
× Correct purchasing speed.
With Ohmee Express, the advantage is very clear when combining Petrolimex's location + Ohmee's retail operation + FMCG portfolio suitable for the journey.
4️⃣ And this can be a very notable platform for FMCG brands
If the model is scaled well, Petrolimex can not only be a fuel network, but become a high-frequency distribution & consumption network for FMCG.
Especially attractive with:
Beverage Energy, DrinkSnack, Coffee,
fresh Food
Ready-to-eat
On-the-Go products
Then, the problem is no longer: "How to sell one more SKU?" which becomes: “How to capture an occasion in the consumer journey?”
Ohmee Express × Petrolimex is a case worth observing for FMCG & Retail in Vietnam.
From Fuel → Convenience → Food & Beverage → Consumer Occasion.
If done well, this is not just a story of opening more stores.
This could be a step from "refueling point" to "refueling point for both the person and the journey".
Refuel. Connect your journey.
And with FMCG, sometimes a small stop is a huge commercial touch point.
Previously, there was also an unfinished project with gas stations and charging stations for Vending machines. Now seeing it, I am even more certain that this direction is for the present and the future #MHLeadershipTips
P/s: products are for illustration purposes only