BP Launches Futuristic Retail Site and Clean Fuels in Greater Cleveland

    CLEVELAND, May 17 The future of convenience and fuel
retailing arrived in Greater Cleveland today as BP unveiled its first fully
operational BP Connect store in Northeast Ohio and announced it is now
offering a cleaner gasoline at its Greater Cleveland locations.

    Retail Offer
    The 24-hour stores deliver an unmatched level of service while providing
unsurpassed quality. All BP Connect stores will have a fresh food offer and
Wild Bean Coffee. Some of the stores, including the Willoughby Hills location,
will feature BP's Wild Bean Cafe where customers can get bread and pastries
baked right in the store, specialty soups, custom-made sandwiches and fresh
salads.
    The stores offer e-kiosks that allow customers free access to weather
updates, local traffic reports, up-to-date news, detailed travel directions,
in-store promotions and information about recycling programs. At some stores,
customers can drive up to the pumps and use "touch and go" screens to
pre-order sandwiches and drinks and obtain local news, traffic and weather
information while fueling.
    "Before developing BP Connect, we did extensive research to find out
exactly what consumers want in a convenience and fuel store," said Jack
Burdett, BP's senior vice president of retail marketing in the Midwest. "BP
Connect will be the hub for our busy, mobile society. We want to help
consumers get as much done as quickly as possible in one stop. And we believe
BP Connect will be the place consumers want to go."

    Environmental Commitment
    In keeping with BP's commitment to a healthy, global environment, BP today
announced it is now offering lower sulfur Amoco Ultimate premium gasoline in
the Greater Cleveland area. The use of lower sulfur Amoco Ultimate will remove
95 tons of nitrogen oxides per year from Northeast Ohio's air, or the
equivalent of taking more than 5,500 cars a day off our roads.
    The company launched its cleaner fuels program in 1999 and by the end of
last year it had reached 59 cities worldwide. By the end of this year, cleaner
fuels will be available in 90 cities, including many where there are serious
and persistent air quality problems.
    "At BP, we want to find ways to meet today's environmental challenges
while still providing people the same great driving performance they want and
deserve," continued Burdett. "We want to offer consumers a choice - cleaner
gasoline that will help reduce vehicle exhaust emissions and help air
quality."
    BP's new retail offer also reflects the company's ongoing commitment to
the environment through several other environmental initiatives.
    A solar canopy over the fuel islands protects customers from the elements
and allows daylight to shine through to create a bright, open and friendly
environment. Thin-film technology is embedded in the canopy and has the
capacity to generate 15-20 kilowatts of electricity or about 10 percent of the
site's overall energy needs. BP is one of the world's largest manufacturers of
solar technology and one of the largest generators of solar energy. BP already
employs solar technology at more than 200 retail sites worldwide and will
continue to install solar canopies in most of its newly built sites.
    BP is partnering with Earth's 911, a network that provides the public with
community-specific resources for recycling and pollution prevention. Consumers
will be able to access information at the e-kiosks about local community
recycling locations and community facilities for household hazardous waste
disposal. Earth's 911 consolidates environmental resources into one user-
friendly network to help the public protect the environment.

    Economic Impact
    "We're proud to be able to contribute to Ohio's economic growth through
our investment in our retail assets and the employment opportunities they will
provide," said Burdett.
    Over the next few years BP will invest more than $200 million to bring its
new brand and retail offer to Ohio. They anticipate creating more than 1,000
new jobs and will have more than 300 reimaged or newly built BP locations in
Ohio, with two-thirds of those being BP Connects.
    In Northeast Ohio BP is investing more than $100 million and creating more
than 400 new jobs over the next few years. By the end of this year BP will
have over 70 reimaged or newly built BP locations in this area, of which more
than 40 will be BP Connects.
    "BP Connect marks the next stage of our evolution as a company in Ohio and
around the world," continued Burdett. "The combination of the strong BP brand
with our consumer inspired, high tech retail offer; our environmental
initiatives; and our significant investment in Ohio positions us well to be
the retail destination of choice for busy consumers today and in the future."
    BP is the single, global corporate brand formed by the combination of the
former British Petroleum, Amoco Corporation, Atlantic Richfield (ARCO) and
Burmah Castrol.

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