Ampol motors ahead with unstaffed fuel stations
Gas retailer Ampol says its unstaffed, fuel-only stations have proven successful.
The company converted 27 of its Australian service stations into unmanned U-Go sites in 2025, taking its portfolio to 46 of 622 company-operated Australian sites as of December 31.
Ampol CEO Matt Halliday told analysts on Monday that U-Go facilities operating for at least 12 months showed a 50 percent increase in fuel volumes and an average increase in earnings of $350,000.
“We’re really happy with it,” he said.
“We are finding that it takes about six months for the local market to get used to this operating model, but we are really pleased with the success we are seeing once it is established.”
The unstaffed facilities are open around the clock and are designed to compete on the “second franchise operator” end of the market, Mr. Halliday said.
Ampol’s high-end convenience Foodary stations are also “going from strength to strength,” he said.
Overall, Ampol’s full-year earnings from ready-made retail sales increased by 3.2 percent compared to 2024, to $562.1 million, while its earnings from fuel and infrastructure increased by 64 percent to $572.1 million.
The company made full-year statutory net profit of $82.4 million, down a third from 2024, due in part to an $89.9 million write-down of its 20 percent stake in Seaoil, an independent fuel company in the Philippines.
Ampol said market dynamics in the Philippines have changed since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine and the rebalancing of global oil markets, and Ampol sees this change as structural in nature.
The Lytton oil refinery in Brisbane, one of the last two refineries operating in Australia, had a strong performance in 2025, generating $226.9 million in earnings, up from $23.4 million in 2024, the company said.
Ampol said that the global energy market remains unstable, considering the developments concerning Iran, Venezuela, Russia and Ukraine.
“While it is too early to draw any firm conclusions on the results, the integrated nature of Ampol’s value chain means we are well placed to adapt to changing conditions to maintain supply to our customers through our trading and transport operations and the Lytton refinery,” the company said.
Ampol will pay a fully-fledged final dividend of 60 cents per share, increasing its dividend this year to $1, the same as a year ago.
Ampol shares fell 3.6 percent to $27.94 on Monday morning.
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