SINGAPORE - Consumers can look forward to sating their food cravings while pumping petrol at Esso stations.

Cheers, NTUC FairPrice's convenience arm, and ExxonMobil Asia Pacific on Tuesday (Nov 22) launched a revamped convenience store format for Esso petrol service stations that features a new ready-to-eat range of products.

The meals are from local eateries like The Soup Spoon, PastaMania and ice cream shop Udders, supplied by The Common Good Company, a consortium made up of well-known local brands.

The meals, which include Thai basil rice, beef rendang baked rice and cream of pumpkin soup, are packed in a new type of vacuum skin packaging, which is expected to preserve the flavour of the food.

NTUC FairPrice said that the move is aligned with the Government's recent food services and retail industry transformation maps, which encourage innovative business formats and technology in those sectors.

Mr Seah Kian Peng, NTUC FairPrice's chief executive, said at the launch held at an Esso station along East Coast Road: "Today's consumers are time-strapped and this means a greater demand for convenient solutions."

He added that market studies have shown an increasing popularity for ready-to-eat meals.

"Beyond greater convenience, quality of products and shopping experience has also become an important aspect we must address," he said.

The refreshed retail format will debut in five Esso service stations in Singapore, including Holland Road, East Coast Road and Jurong West Avenue 1, and will be progressively rolled out to all 62 service stations islandwide over the next two years.

The stores will also feature new Japanese snacks, which are growing in popularity.