Amoco returns to St. Louis gas station with world's biggest sign

ST. LOUIS (KMOX) -- Next time you're filling up at Clayton and Skinker, take a look up. You'll see a different name on the gas station canopy in the shadow of the largest Amoco sign in the world.

It's been known as BP since the Amoco banner was phased out following the 1998 merger between the two oil companies.

Now, in 2019, BP is reviving the Amoco brand for competitive positioning purposes.

BP spokesman Michael Abendhoff explains: "For example, if you have a BP site on one block and down the road you have a competitive brand and they want to join BP, they can do so with the Amoco brand. Then you won't have two BPs."

The landmark station in the Hi-Pointe neighborhood is the first in the area to get the new branding package.

"The history of this location is special to our company and we wanted to bring that heritage back to St. Louis," he said.

This particular station is an exception; the company doesn't plan to convert any other existing BPs to Amoco, instead offering the retro brand to new stations joining the network.

"This one is a special one for us," Abendhoff said, recalling the original Standard Oil sign installed in the 1930s. "This is really exciting, especially for me. I was an Amoco sales rep back in the late 80s in St. Louis, so seeing that come full circle is pretty exciting for me too."

What about the giant Amoco sign? It'll be modernized.

"The bigger sign will be refreshed with our new brand logo. It's slightly different than the older one," Abendhoff said.

The new Amoco mark is essentially the same, with more gradients, updated font, and no black outline.

Abendhoff says despite a two-decade absence from the public consciousness (except for the "Amoco Ultimate" gasoline label), research shows the Amoco brand is still strong in the Midwest, including Missouri and Illinois.

Expect a total of 4 or 5 Amocos to open in the area in the coming months.