To survive this time of flux in the retail industry, mall owners are getting creative to attract and retain customers.
While some owners are adding more restaurant, home furnishing and entertainment-centric tenants such as gyms or bowling alleys to better appeal to shoppers, others are adding service-oriented features to help them stand apart.
California-based fuel delivery startup Booster Fuels is teaming up with malls and corporate campuses in California and Dallas-Fort Worth to fill consumers' gas tanks while they are busy shopping and taking care of other tasks. The service allows customers to request gas refills via an app. At the press of a button Booster Fuels staffers will locate the vehicle and refill its gas tank, the Wall Street Journal reports.
According to the company's website, consumers using the service are charged the competitive price of gas within their respective areas. Should they select additional services, more fees will apply. The company typically keeps at least one or two trucks on-site from 7 a.m. to 4 p.m. on weekdays in order to fulfill customer requests within an hour, according to the WSJ.
Booster Fuels has teamed up with malls like The Great Mall in Milpitas, California, as well as companies such as Cisco Systems, Oracle Corp., eBay and Facebook to offer a more convenient way for people to shop and run errands while simultaneously refilling their car's fuel.
The concept could also become increasingly beneficial as the number of physical gas stations across the U.S. continues to drop, leaving drivers with fewer options as to where they can refill their tanks.
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