About Al Hafez Oil & Lubricants

Built on a foundation of trust and tradition, the relationship between Al Hafez and Shell goes back to more than six decades, making Al Hafez, Shell’s oldest and most valuable business partner in the region.

The association started in the 1960s when Mr. Habib Behbehani started working with Shell to distribute Shell Chemical products, mainly supplying Kuwait National Petroleum refineries.

There has been no looking back since then. Both companies, Shell and Al Hafez, have grown their businesses and relationship tremendously; deepening ties, improving and scaling operations, increasing staff strength from tens to hundreds, training them to the highest levels, adding more products to the portfolio, and becoming Shell’s leading supplier of lubricants in the Kuwait market.

In the early 1970s, Al Hafez was appointed as a distributor of Shell products in Kuwait after reporting strong sales in chemical products. Over the years, Shell has transformed into a global leader in the oil and gas sector and Al Hafez takes immense pride in being a part of that journey that continues into the future.

Al Hafez has made substantial investments in the business. One of these investments includes a sprawling, state-of-the-art warehouse. Following are the highlights of the warehouse.

• 100 percent self-owned
• Constructed on a massive 4000sqm
• Built up area of 1600sqm with large storage
• Greenfield project
• Certified by local authorities in Kuwait
• Innovative and modern facility
• Environment-friendly
• Caters to both government tenders and local market sales
• Equipped to handle the growing demands of the pharma and lubricants business
• Avante-garde logistics and distribution mechanisms

Al Hafez’s Shell product portfolio of lubricants includes:

• Aviation, marine, and specialized products
• All engine oils
• Industrial products.

Both companies share a joint vision and strategy: to achieve harmony and mutual prosperity with their partners within the local communities. It is these mutually shared values, goals, philosophies, and similarities that further strengthen the relationship, enabling it to weather turmoil and challenges, be it political or economic, such as the Iraq invasion of Kuwait in 1990 and the recent Covid 19 pandemic that disrupted the world in more ways than one.

Shell’s Regional Office in Dubai further spurred Al Hafez’s growth due to joint promotional and training activities that include technical support and guidance on HSE (Health, Safety, and Environment) matters, which demonstrates that Shell is not only interested in just selling its products but is invested in the well-being of its partners and people.

In recent years, and in keeping with modernization, both companies are focused on embracing technology and shifting operations to digital and E-commerce platforms. While the traditional methods of doing business will continue, the online business model is expected to drive future business growth.

Al Hafez is also actively seeking to extend value-added services to its customers in Kuwait. Towards this end, Al Hafez is investing further in its infrastructure and collaborating with suppliers that share its mutual vision and work ethos.

As a leading seller of high-quality lubricants, Al Hafez constantly ups the ante for service excellence and aims to be every customer’s first choice when it comes to car service-related issues. This, it believes, will lead to greater synergies, better customer satisfaction, and overall growth of the company.

Historically, Al-Hafez Market’s success story was sustainable due to its adaptation capability to various challenges. The recent pandemic was a challenge where Al-Hafez demonstrated strength and positive outcomes.