Gull and NPD merger complete: What it means for motorists

Author: Herald Reporters,
Publish Date: Mon, 13 Jul 2026, 1:09pm

Low-cost fuel retailers Gull and NPD have completed their merger after receiving approval from the Commerce Commission in May.

The new NPDGull entity will oversee the two brands, leveraging their combined buying power to drive fuel competition for motorists.

Both Gull and NPD sites will remain under their existing brands.

NPDGull group chief executive Barry Sheridan said further investments will continue to improve the competitiveness of its offer and quality of its service.

“We’ll significantly enhance the size of our North Island operations, enlarging our delivery fleet, acquiring more storage tank options, and bring on new team members in our operations and sales areas to leverage the strength of our network and supply chain,” he said.

“From ‘Port to the Pump’, across the North Island, we’ll control every step, improving the resilience of supply to our sites, and to customers in industrial and remote areas.”

Sheridan said the focus was on its popular self-serve model across sites nationwide.

“We will be leveraging our buying power and keeping our costs low, so we can continue to deliver the competitive pricing we are renowned for.”

Sheridan was the owner and chief executive of NPD before the merger.

The two retailers sought clearance for their merger in December last year.

The commission considered the merger’s possible adverse effects but found it would likely have a negligible effect on competition in the fuel industry.

Chairman Dr John Small said the commission was satisfied such a merger “is not likely to substantially lessen competition in any market in New Zealand in which the parties compete or are likely to compete in future”.

The merged entity will operate about 240 sites, linking Gull’s strong North Island presence with NPD’s South Island footprint.