National Benzole
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| National Benzole Company Ltd. | |
|---|---|
 |
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| Type | Subsidiary of BP plc (Dormant) |
| Founded | 1919 |
| Headquarters |  London, United Kingdom |
| Industry | Oil |
| Products | Petrol |
National Benzole was a petroleum brand used in the United Kingdom from 1919 to the 1960s. In 1934 the company acquired Power Petroleum. In the early 1960s it was renamed as simply National.
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[edit] Foundation
The company was founded in 1919 in a room next to the boiler house of the Gas Light and Coke Company in London’s Horseferry Road. In the early years of the century, benzole production had been small scale. But, because it was as good at propelling shells as motor cars, production was expanded massively during World War One. And this led to something of a post-war “benzole-lake”. Gathered in a room around a trestle table, a group of men in the know reckoned there was money to be made from these surplus-to-requirements stocks.
[edit] Benzol
Initially National Benzole sold benzole - an additive which, when used with petrol, prevented engine knocking and improved acceleration and smoothness. It proved to be very popular with British motorists and the National Brand became a common sight at the roadside. During the late 1950s Benzole was found to be hazardous to health and therefore from the early 1960s onwards National only sold petrol.
[edit] Early days
The company’s early days were characterised by enthusiastic selling and relentless marketing techniques. Driver/ salesmen set out daily in open cab, solid tyre ex-army lorries, loaded with product packaged in war-surplus drums and cans. Motorists liked the product, but some reckoned neat benzole was a little strong for the average engine and started to mix it with petrol. The company, in an early example of customer responsiveness seized on the idea and introduced, in 1922, the official National Benzole mixture.
[edit] Mr Mercury
The now famous 50/50 blend became a resounding success. To sustain the success, an imaginative advertising campaign was developed, and in 1928, Mr Mercury – startlingly naked – leapt for the first time from the pages of the national newspapers.
Mr Mercury, in National Benzole’s black and chrome gold corporate colours, became one of the most powerful marketing images of this age. Almost every service station in the 1930’s had a National Benzole pump, for single-brand solus sites were unknown in those days. Eventually Mr Mercury's head was used as the brand's logo. At the outbreak of the Second World War, all petrol brands gave way to pooled petrol. But Mr Mercury returned in 1953 and National Benzole quickly re-established itself as a market leader.
[edit] Shell-Mex & BP
National Benzole joined the Shell-Mex and BP Ltd in 1957 but continued to trade separately. The Benzole (no longer part of the mixture) was dropped from the name and Mr Mercury’s black and chrome gave way to sparkling new yellow, blue and white. At the de-merger of Shell-Mex and British Petroleum (BP) in 1976, National remained with BP.
[edit] Decline
During the 1970s and 1980s the company's petrol stations sold figurines of The Smurfs comic characters whose blue and white colouring matched the National colours, however during the 1980’s, the National brand declined as BP focussed on the strength of the BP brand. By the early 1990s the brand name was phased out in favour of BP. There was a brief re-appearance of the National Brand from 2000 when Scottish Fuels branded its retail outlets as 'National'. These outlets have since been re-branded into the colours of Scottish Fuels.
