Gulf Oil has appointed Ideal First Choice (Pvt) Ltd as national distributor for its lubricant products in Sri Lanka. An event was held to celebrate their partnership at the JAIC Hilton in Colombo recently.

Ideal First Choice (Pvt) Ltd is a subsidiary of the Ideal Group, one of Sri Lanka’s leading business conglomerates. Ideal First Choice is recognized as a pioneer in luxury motor vehicles and the after-sales service industry in Sri Lanka. Gulf Oil is a well-established global player in the lubricants industry with a presence in more than 100 countries.

The strategic partnership with Gulf Oil Lubricants India is the latest addition to Ideal First Choice’s expansion of its global brand offerings and commitment to provide world-class service to its customers in Sri Lanka.

“We are pleased to announce the appointment of Ideal First Choice as Sri Lanka’s national distributor for Gulf Oil. As a part of our association with Gulf Oil, we look forward to providing high-quality products and a unique lubricant brand to all of our clients,” said Chaminda Wanigaratne, director, Ideal First Choice and Ideal Motors.

“In 2008, the then government in order to introduce lubricants to the local market, liberalized the marketplace affording the private sector opportunities to introduce various lubricant brands to Sri Lanka. Subsequently in 2010, the automotive industry was reenergized and the availability of hybrid vehicles in the market also attracted a large number of customers. Due to this over the years, the demand for lubricants increased and accordingly we have introduced Gulf Oil which can provide high quality performance to customers at an affordable price.

“We have also begun the process of appointing local dealers for Gulf lubricants covering all districts across the country. Through our island wide dealers we aim to distribute the brand for all vehicles including motorcycles, three-wheelers and vans, in addition to industrial requirements. Moreover, arrangements have been made to provide technical knowledge and awareness about the brand and its products to all our dealers and sales teams. This initiative ensures that we are able to provide customers the highest quality product at an affordable price,” Wanigaratne said.

“We are delighted to have partnered with Ideal First Choice as the national distributor in Sri Lanka. The country consumes about 64,000 kilo liters of lubricants annually. 68% of this is used for automobiles and the remainder for industrial lubricants and greases. We aim to provide consumers with high quality lubricants for the automotive and industrial sectors. I am sure this partnership will grow to benefit the industry,” said Ravi Chawla, president – APAC, Gulf Oil, and managing director and CEO, Gulf Oil Lubricants India Ltd.