Australia
1941 to 2022
Texaco products were first sold in Australia in 1900 by R. W. Cameron & Co. Texas Company (Australasia) Limited was incorporated in New South Wales in 1918, headquartered in Sydney and with operations across Australia and New Zealand.[10] The Caltex brand name began to be used for the first time in Australia when Texas Company (Australasia) Limited changed its name to Caltex Limited five years later on 2 January 1941.[11][12]
Until 1995, Caltex Australia Limited operated though its subsidiary Caltex Oil (Australia) Pty Ltd. During this time, Caltex Australia also acquired Golden Fleece in 1981.[13] It also floated 25% of its shares to the Australian public the same year, the first multinational oil company to do so in Australia.[14]
In May 1995, Caltex Oil (Australia) Pty Ltd was merged with its rival Ampol Limited to form Australian Petroleum Pty Ltd, owned equally by Caltex Australia Limited and Ampol's parent Pioneer International.[15]
The Caltex brand was also planned to be retired and replaced by Ampol, but this never eventuated.[16] In 1997, Pioneer planned to leave the petroleum industry and sold its 50% share of Australian Petroleum to Caltex Australia, allowing the latter to acquire full ownership and renaming the company to Caltex Petroleum Australia Limited.[10]
In exchange, Pioneer received 90 million Caltex Australia shares (33.33% stake), which it later sold through public offering.[17][18] That resulted in shareholding changes in Caltex Australia, which became 50% owned by Caltex Corporation (and later Chevron Global) and 50% by Australian shareholders.
In 2015, Chevron sold its 50 per cent stake in Caltex Australia (the deal valuing the company at AU$9.24 billion), but allowing Caltex Australia to continue using the Caltex brand. In December 2019, Caltex announced that Chevron had given notice to terminate the licence agreement for the use of the Caltex brand in Australia, effective from 30 June 2020. Caltex Australia was renamed Ampol Limited during the annual general meeting in May 2020.[19]
Ampol would have to cease using the licensed Caltex trademarks thirty months ("work-out period") after the termination of the trademark licence agreement (30 June 2020).[20][21] The first part of the work-out period was an 18-month "exclusivity period" where Ampol had exclusive rights to use the Caltex brand until 31 December 2021.
The remaining twelve months until 31 December 2022 was a "non-exclusivity period", where both Chevron and Ampol could use the Caltex brand at the same time. After that date, Ampol would no longer be authorised to use the Caltex brand. That meant the rebranding to Ampol had to be completed by 31 December 2022.[22][23]
Since 2022
In November 2019, Chevron announced that it would re-enter the Australian downstream market with the acquisition of Puma Energy's Australian operations via its subsidiary Chevron Australia Downstream, with the acquisition completed in July 2020.[24] The acquisition also included smaller brands such as Gull and Choice Petroleum which were owned by Puma.
In early 2022, after the Caltex brand was no longer exclusive to Ampol (non-exclusivity period), Chevron began to relaunch Caltex in Australia with the opening of new Caltex stations or rebranding from existing Puma service stations.[22]
The relaunched Caltex uses Techron in line with other Chevron Corporation and Caltex stations globally. The Caltex brand is solely used by Chevron Australia since 2023. In early 2023, 17 Puma stations in the Northern Territory and northern Western Australia were sold to South Australian-based OTR, with Caltex fuel to be supplied at these stations.[25][26]
1941 to 2022
Texaco products were first sold in Australia in 1900 by R. W. Cameron & Co. Texas Company (Australasia) Limited was incorporated in New South Wales in 1918, headquartered in Sydney and with operations across Australia and New Zealand.[10] The Caltex brand name began to be used for the first time in Australia when Texas Company (Australasia) Limited changed its name to Caltex Limited five years later on 2 January 1941.[11][12]
Until 1995, Caltex Australia Limited operated though its subsidiary Caltex Oil (Australia) Pty Ltd. During this time, Caltex Australia also acquired Golden Fleece in 1981.[13] It also floated 25% of its shares to the Australian public the same year, the first multinational oil company to do so in Australia.[14]
In May 1995, Caltex Oil (Australia) Pty Ltd was merged with its rival
Since 2022
In November 2019, Chevron announced that it would re-enter the Australian downstream market with the acquisition of Puma Energy's Australian operations via its subsidiary Chevron Australia Downstream, with the acquisition completed in July 2020.[24] The acquisition also included smaller brands such as Gull and Choice Petroleum which were owned by Puma.
In early 2022, after the Caltex brand was no longer exclusive to Ampol (non-exclusivity period), Chevron began to relaunch Caltex in Australia with the opening of new Caltex stations or rebranding from existing Puma service stations.[22]
The relaunched Caltex uses Techron in line with other Chevron Corporation and Caltex stations globally. The Caltex brand is solely used by Chevron Australia since 2023. In early 2023, 17 Puma stations in the Northern Territory and northern Western Australia were sold to South Australian-based OTR, with Caltex fuel to be supplied at these stations.[25][26]
Cambodia
Texaco marketed lubricants began to be sold in Cambodia in 1924. Caltex Cambodia Limited was incorporated in 1995, with the first service station opened in Pochentong, Phnom Penh in 1996. The first Star Mart store in Cambodia opened the following year in 1997. The company changed its name to Chevron (Cambodia) Limited in 2008, with the Caltex brand still remaining in use.[28]
Hong Kong
In October 2005, Caltex Oil Hong Kong Limited changed its name to Chevron Hong Kong Limited.[29] As of November 2022, there are 32 Caltex stations in the territory.[30]
India
Caltex had a subsidiary in India in the early 1940s through the early 1980s, however as state owned corporation Indian Oil came in to market, strategically Caltex decided to reduce its operation in India. In State of Gujarat there were 2 major dealers of Caltex, T.C. Brothers Company (Saurashtra region) and MS. N. K. Sheth Co. The CEO of T.C. Brothers Co, was Mr. Tribhovandas D Parekh (also known as Mr. Pampu-sheth) and the Chairman was Mr. Cuhnilal D Parekh.
T. C. Brothers company dealt in Petroleum products, service station for automobiles, paint, tiles, pipes, cements and transportation of oil, kerosene, gasoline/petrol in state of Gujarat. In 2010, Caltex started trading under the name GS Caltex India, a subsidiary of Caltex's Korean joint venture GS Caltex.[31]
Malaysia
There are approximately 420 Caltex stations across Peninsular Malaysia; three terminals in Pulau Indah, Prai; and a joint-venture in Pasir Gudang.[32]
Caltex Oil Malaysia Limited changed its name to Chevron Malaysia Limited in 2005.[4]
New Zealand
Caltex first started in New Zealand as the Star Oil Company in 1920, which was registered and established to import and distribute fuel oils from the USA under the Texaco brand.
Lubricating products were handled by the Texas Company Australasia Limited (i.e. predecessor of Caltex Australia) while refined products such as petrol and kerosene were distributed by Star Oil Company under agreement with the Texas Company.[33] Service stations selling Texaco fuel began in the early 1930s.
When Caltex was established globally in 1936, Texaco signage was changed at service stations to the new name. However, it was not until 12 January 1945 when Caltex Oil (N.Z.) Limited was registered and incorporated.[33][34][35]
New Zealand was the first country where Caltex sold Boron fuel, which had been sold in the country for two years under the name Texol. The success in New Zealand allowed Caltex to sign up rights to sell Boron in other markets worldwide. It remained Caltex's fuel brand globally until it was phased out in the 1980s.[33]
Pakistan
In 2015, Total Parco announced that it would acquire and rename Caltex petrol pumps in Pakistan by an investment between US$200 million and US$250 million.[45]
Philippines
Caltex was established in the Philippines in 1917 when Texas Company began marketing its products in the Philippines through a local distributor, Wise and Co. In 1921, Texaco (Philippines) was formally established and opened its office in Binondo, Manila. Eleven years later, its Pandacan oil depot was converted into a key distribution terminal to bring products by barge to nearby provinces.[46]
Caltex has nearly 600 stores in the Philippines.[47]
Singapore
Caltex began in Singapore when Texas Company (China) Ltd was established in the then-British colony in 1933. It was renamed Caltex in the 1950s.[48] In 1979, Caltex acquired a one-third interest in Singapore Refining Co. Pte. Ltd. (SRC) (the balance held by BP and Singapore Petroleum Company), which operates a 285000 oilbbl/d refinery in Singapore. Caltex’s interest in SRC was increased to 50 percent in 2004.[48]
In 1999, Caltex moved its operating headquarters to Singapore from Dallas.[48] As of November 2022, there are 25 Caltex stations in the country.[49]
South Africa and Botswana
The Texas Company (South Africa) Ltd was incorporated in 1911 and headquartered in Cape Town.[50]
Chevron South Africa (CSA), who operated the Caltex brand in the country and neighbouring country of Botswana, was acquired by Glencore and Off the Shelf Investments (OTS) in September 2018 and was rebranded as Astron Energy.[51]
Astron Energy then continued to operate the Caltex brand under a license agreement with Chevron.[52] The 850 Caltex service stations in South Africa and Botswana began to be rebranded as Astron in September 2022.[53][54]
South Korea
GS Caltex is Caltex's joint venture with GS Group (previously split off from LG Corporation) in South Korea. It was founded in May 1967 as the first private oil company in Korea.[58][59]
Taiwan
Some Asian operations are run by Caltex (Asia) Limited, based in Taipei.
