Gulf Oil
Gulf Oil (Gulf, Inc.) is a U.S. fuel branding company founded in 1901 and a subsidiary of family-owned RaceTrac. It licenses the Gulf brand to ~1,200 gas stations across 36 states and Puerto Rico, supplies branded and unbranded wholesale fuel, and serves retail drivers and commercial fleet operators via Gulf Pay and the ROADMAP portal.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1901
- HeadquartersFramingham, United States
- Headcount1,001–5,000
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Gulf Oil does
Gulf Oil (legal entity Gulf, Inc.) is a U.S. fuel branding and petroleum products company founded in 1901 at the Spindletop oil discovery in Beaumont, Texas. It operates as a subsidiary of family-owned RaceTrac, headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The company licenses the Gulf brand to approximately 1,200 independently operated gas stations across 36 U.S. states and Puerto Rico, and supplies branded and unbranded fuel through wholesale channels to commercial and industrial customers. The firm marked its 125th anniversary in January 2026 and is pursuing international expansion, announcing a $150 million commitment in February 2026 to build roughly 100 Gulf-branded stations in Uzbekistan over two years.
The product portfolio centers on Gulf Branded Fuel, Gulf Unbranded Fuel (wholesale), Gulf Pay (a mobile payment and loyalty application), Gulf ROADMAP (a commercial fleet management and fuel procurement portal), and licensed Gulf Merchandise. The technology stack is non-proprietary and oriented around consumer payment convenience (Gulf Pay) and B2B fleet tooling (ROADMAP); no proprietary AI/ML, platform infrastructure, or patents are disclosed. Beyond the core fuel branding business, Gulf extended into specialty lubricants via the 2012 acquisition of Houghton International.
Gulf's business model combines brand-licensing royalties from franchisees with direct fuel product sales (branded and unbranded). The go-to-market is a franchise/licensed-operator distribution model targeting retail drivers (primary) and commercial fleet operators (secondary). Marketing channels include the corporate website, Facebook, Twitter/X, LinkedIn, email, and national PR campaigns (including the 125th anniversary). The company is privately held with no disclosed funding rounds, public ticker, or revenue figures, and its sole identified senior leaders in the data set are Tom Kloza (Chief Energy Advisor) and Camille Nehme (VP Finance and Strategic Development).
Gulf Oil firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Gulf Oil
- Legal name
- Gulf, Inc.
- Website
- https://gulfoil.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1901
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 1,001–5,000 employees
- Short description
- Gulf Oil (Gulf, Inc.) is a U.S. fuel branding company founded in 1901 and a subsidiary of family-owned RaceTrac. It licenses the Gulf brand to ~1,200 gas stations across 36 states and Puerto Rico, supplies branded and unbranded wholesale fuel, and serves retail drivers and commercial fleet operators via Gulf Pay and the ROADMAP portal.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Gulf Oil industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Branded Fuel Retail and Petroleum Distribution
- NAICS
- Gasoline Stations (4571), Petroleum and Petroleum Products Merchant Wholesalers (except Bulk Stations and Terminals) (424720), Fuel Dealers (45721)
- SIC
- Retail-Auto Dealers & Gasoline Stations (5500), Wholesale-Petroleum & Petroleum Products (No Bulk Stations) (5172)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Branded Fuels Wholesaling & Jobber Distribution (EUALAIAB)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Unbranded/Spot Fuels Distribution (Rack Sales) (EUALAIAC), Fuel Pricing, Loyalty & Payments Platforms (POS, Mobile Pay, Fleet Cards, Loyalty Programs) (EUALAIAK), Non-Fuel Retail & Ancillary Forecourt Services (Car Wash, Auto Care, ATM/Lottery, Parcel Lockers) (EUALAIAJ)
Keywords
Where Gulf Oil is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Framingham
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Gulf Oil business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Branded Fuel Retail: Gulf Oil generates revenue through licensing its brand to independent gas station operators. The company provides branded fuels, marketing support, and operational frameworks to franchisees operating under the Gulf brand name across approximately 1,200 locations.
- Fuel Product Sales: Revenue from sale of petroleum products through branded retail locations.
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels2 records
Marketing channels6 records
Gulf Oil product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Gulf Oil operates a fuel branding and licensing business that supplies branded gasoline, diesel, lubricants, heating oil, and bio-fuels through a network of approximately 1,200 independently operated franchise stations across 36 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. The company also sells unbranded fuel wholesale to commercial and industrial customers, and supports its network with the Gulf Pay mobile payment application and the ROADMAP commercial fleet portal.
Product overview
Gulf Oil operates as a fuel branding and retail convenience store company under RaceTrac Petroleum (Atlanta), offering a portfolio of fuel products through branded and unbranded channels, mobile payment solutions via Gulf Pay, and a commercial customer portal called ROADMAP. The company maintains approximately 1,200 branded retail locations across 36 states plus Puerto Rico, while also supplying unbranded fuel to wholesale customers. Gulf's product ecosystem centers on physical fuel distribution supplemented by digital payment and loyalty tools.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Gulf Branded Fuel Gulf's primary branded gasoline and diesel offering sold through approximately 1,200 independently operated Gulf-branded retail stations across 36 U.S. states and Puerto Rico.
- Gulf Pay
Companies that use Gulf Oil
Customer profileSegments2 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Gulf Oil technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Gulf Oil partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
One partnership is on record.
- McLaren RacingminorGulf Oil is listed as a sponsorship partner of McLaren Racing in 2025, part of the team's diversified sponsorship portfolio that includes OKX (title partner), Google Cloud, Cisco, Dell Technologies, Pirelli, Hilton, and Richard Mille. The partnership positions Gulf within McLaren's three-tier sponsorship architecture.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves5 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Gulf Oil competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Sunoco LP: Sunoco LP operates one of the largest U.S. networks of branded fuel distribution and dealer/wholesale fuel supply. Gulf's branded wholesale and franchise model closely mirrors Sunoco's fuel distribution segment, making it the most direct publicly traded peer.
- CITGO Petroleum: CITGO licenses its brand to ~4,500 branded retail locations across the U.S. through independent marketers. Gulf's ~1,200-site branded franchise model is structurally similar to CITGO's brand-licensing go-to-market.
- RaceTrac: RaceTrac is Gulf's parent company and operates a chain of company-owned convenience stores across the Southeast U.S. It is the most structurally aligned counterparty, sharing ownership and operational synergies with Gulf.
- Murphy USA: Murphy USA operates a large network of company-owned low-cost fuel and convenience stores (~1,750 locations), competing directly with Gulf-branded sites for value-oriented fuel customers.
- Sinclair Oil: Sinclair Oil supplies branded motor fuels to independent retailers across ~1,300 U.S. locations. Its franchise brand-licensing approach and station footprint scale are highly comparable to Gulf's.
Broad incumbents
- QuikTrip: QuikTrip operates ~1,000 company-owned convenience stores with proprietary fuel supply across the Midwest, South, and Southeast. Its private, vertically integrated model competes for the same retail fuel customer as Gulf's branded network.
- BP America: BP markets branded fuels across thousands of U.S. sites and competes with Gulf for independent dealer licenses; its ampm convenience format overlaps with the forecourt/loyalty ecosystem Gulf operates in.
- Conoco (76 / Phillips 66): Phillips 66 markets 76-branded and Phillips 66-branded fuels through thousands of U.S. stations. Its branded wholesale/franchise program competes head-to-head with Gulf for independent dealer accounts.
- Shell USA: Shell operates the largest fuel retail network in the U.S. and a sophisticated loyalty/payments platform (Shell Pay, Fuel Rewards). It competes with Gulf across the full stack: wholesale supply, branding, and digital.
- Wawa: Wawa operates ~1,000 company-owned convenience stores with integrated fueling across the Mid-Atlantic and Florida. It competes with Gulf-branded sites in overlapping geographies and shares the brand-loyalty retail fuel model.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Gulf Oil social profiles
Digital presenceGulf Oil financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Gulf Oil leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Gulf Oil funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Gulf Oil M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A1 record
Investments2 records
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Gulf Oil
What does Gulf Oil do?
Gulf Oil operates a fuel branding and licensing business that supplies branded gasoline, diesel, lubricants, heating oil, and bio-fuels through a network of approximately 1,200 independently operated franchise stations across 36 U.S. states and Puerto Rico. The company also sells unbranded fuel wholesale to commercial and industrial customers, and supports its network with the Gulf Pay mobile payment application and the ROADMAP commercial fleet portal.
Is Gulf Oil a public or private company?
Gulf Oil is a private company. It is classified as family owned and is currently operating.
When was Gulf Oil founded?
Gulf Oil was founded in 1901. It employs 1,001 to 5,000 people.
Where is Gulf Oil based?
Gulf Oil is headquartered in Framingham, United States, in the North America region.
How does Gulf Oil make money?
Two revenue lines are on record. Branded Fuel Retail is the primary driver. The others are fuel Product Sales.
Who are Gulf Oil's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Sunoco LP, CITGO Petroleum, RaceTrac, Murphy USA and Sinclair Oil. Broad incumbents are QuikTrip, BP America, Conoco (76 / Phillips 66), Shell USA and Wawa.
Does Gulf Oil have an API?
No public API is recorded for Gulf Oil.
What industry is Gulf Oil in?
Gulf Oil's product category is Branded Fuel Retail and Petroleum Distribution. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EUALAIAB, Branded Fuels Wholesaling & Jobber Distribution, with a secondary code of EUALAIAC, Unbranded/Spot Fuels Distribution (Rack Sales). Its NAICS code is 4571 and its SIC code is 5500.