Kuwait Petroleum International was established in 1983, to manage the refining and marketing interests of their parent company, Kuwait Petroleum Corporation, outside Kuwait.
The growth of Q8's extensive network of service stations in Europe began with the acquisition, in 1983/4, of Gulf Oil's operations in the Benelux, Sweden, Denmark and Italy, and of BP's operations in Denmark in 1987. Expansion continued in the early 1990s with the purchase of Mobil service stations in Italy and BP's assets in Luxembourg.
Q8 launched operations in Spain in 1992 and their business in Italy was strengthened through a joint venture with Italian oil company AGIP at the Milazzo refinery in Sicily.
A joint venture with OKF in Sweden in 1998 created OKQ8, one of the the leading networks of service stations in Sweden, while the acquisition of the service stations of BP and Aral, made Q8 Belgium's second largest oil company.
Q8's business in the Netherlands was strengthened by acquiring Tango automated service stations in the Netherlands.
Over the past three decades, Q8 has expanded rapidly through a series of carefully planned acquisitions selected for their strategic fit with the business.
Today, Q8's business is expanding into the Far East with plans for ambitious joint venture marketing and manufacturing projects, with the construction of a refinery and petrochemical complex in both China and Vietnam.
When it was launched in 1986, the Q8 brand was an instant success. Its strength and originality made it stand out from competing brands, earning a rapid recognition and awareness in the market places. Today almost 20 years after conception it is still being used as an example of good logo design.
The graceful sails of a dhow, a typical Arab sailboat, recall a rich history that begins somewhere in antiquity with pearl divers. They also evoke the history of what once was a proud seafaring nation. The colours yellow, red and blue symbolise the desert, sun and sea receptively.
The new identity was created by the Wolff Olins agency that has advised many large companies worldwide.
The OKQ8 Logo
