APCO Feature July 2015

10¢ OFF FUEL VALID 1 DAY ONLY PER LITRE

SUNDAY 19TH JULY

HUGE APCO GRAND OPENING THIS SUNDAY! 10AM-2PM

APCO Shepparton’s massive Grand Opening is set to be a huge day of entertainment for both the little ‘kids’ and the big ones! continued inside

The Adviser. Australia No. 1:1259 Wednesday, July 15, 2015 – Page 19

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AUSTRALIAN OWNED INDEPENDENT

The APCO

difference

COMPETITIVELY PRICED, QUALITY FUEL… The all new independent APCO service station on Numurkah Road, Shepparton is now open with brand new state-of-the-art fuel pumps, and APCO’s personal guarantee of the supply of quality Australian fuels. Photo: Madeleine Caccianiga.

ONE of APCO’s founding principles was to provide people in regional areas with quality, essential, fuels at competitive prices; this value continues to be a company focus today.

Director, Robert Anderson said, “Our overall philosophy is to support the local community and one tangible way of doing this is by being a leader in the field of independent fuel pricing.

“We sell our fuel at a fair price and aim to provide the most competitive prices in town.

“We also only sell Mobil and Viva Energy (formerly Shell) fuels, purchased directly from their refineries, picked-up by our own trucks and drivers and delivered directly to our stores.

So APCO strongly supports locally manufactured product and further supports Australian jobs.

“We are committed to continuing to support the community by remaining a market leader with our pricing, even when prices are on the rise,” Robert added.

APCO are also offering customers the opportunity to save even more on their fuel with a 10 cent discount coupon available for use on Grand Opening Day, (see special coupon on this page).

Huge APCO

Grand Opening this Sunday!

continued from front page of feature ON Sunday, July 19 the brand new APCO Service Station on Numurkah Road will come alive with an amazing Jeep show, Monster Truck display, free jumping castle, face painting and sausage sizzle as well as giveaways and even a performance by Mik Maks; Australia’s newest and fastest growing independent children’s act.

APCO Joe will be also appearing on the day to sprinkle a little extra APCO love, handing out free goodies for the ‘kids’.

Another huge attraction and draw card for the adults will be the 10 cent fuel discount on offer all day, simply cut out the coupon in this edition of The Adviser and bring it with you on the day to claim your discount.

APCO’s Grand Opening will be held on Sunday, July 19 from 10am to 2pm at APCO Service Station, 111–125 Numurkah Road, Shepparton - make sure you get in on all the fun!

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From humble beginnings…

The history of APCO Clockwise from top left: JOINING THE OIL LEAGUE… Ron Anderson joined the Vacuum Oil Company in 1962 working as a regional representative at Seymour and Shepparton.

IN THE BEGINNING… In 1968 Ron Anderson purchased the Mobil Distributorship in Warrnambool.

BECOMING APCO… In the late 1970s, Ron and Margaret Anderson became an Independent Distributor, Anderson Petroleum Company (APCO).

FILL UP AND SHOP… In 1980 Anderson Petroleum’s first Retail Site was developed; Victoria’s first APCO Easy Shop was opened.

EXPANDING BUSINESS… Anderson Petroleum expanded its wholesale and retail business to Geelong in the early 1980s, with Peter Anderson joining his father and mother. More retail sites began to appear throughout Geelong and regional Victoria. Photos: Supplied.

APCO Founder, Ron Anderson joined Vacuum Oil Company in 1962 and began working as a regional sales representative, servicing accounts from Seymour to Shepparton.

Ron worked hard and was soon promoted to the position of Retail Representative, servicing the Moonee Ponds metropolitan area. An ambitious Ron continued with dedication in his role before once again being promoted, this time to a Head Office based role where he was assigned the responsibility to open the Mobil Representative and Distribution training Centre in Camperdown.

In 1968, after six years of loyalty, Ron decided to purchase the Mobil Distributorship in Warrnambool. The years went on and in the late ‘70s after experiencing much success as a distributor; Ron and Margaret Anderson together in partnership, became an Independent Distributor and Anderson Petroleum Company was born.

1980 saw the opening of the very first APCO retail store and service station when Victoria’s first APCO Easy Shop store was opened in Warrnambool, it was to be the first of many.

Ron and Margaret soon expanded both the wholesale business and retail APCO Service Station business and set up in Geelong in the early ‘80s, joined by an enthusiastic young Peter Anderson. The business continued to grow and more retail sites began to appear throughout Geelong and regional Victoria.

Skip forward two decades and the fiercely independent, family owned APCO Service Station chain of stores is still thriving today; proudly celebrating the opening of their 24th store here in Shepparton.

The APCO Service Station business specialises in the supply of quality, competitively priced fuels and top-up grocery lines as well as freshly ground barista style coffee and convenient on-the-go food from their Café 24-7.

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AUSTRALIAN OWNED INDEPENDENT

Satisfy your hunger and

refuel at Café 24-7 SHEPPARTON’S all new APCO service station now takes customer convenience to new heights. APCO’s Café 24-7 as the name suggests, never closes.

Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, Café 24-7 provides a welcome stop for both travellers as well as their vehicles to refuel.

The Cafè 24-7 concept is simple – freshly made food, barista coffee and refreshments at great value prices.

Earlybirds can launch their day with a ready-to-go breakfast products and quality freshly-packed salads, sandwiches, rolls, wraps and a great range of focaccias for lunch or any other time of day. There’s also a wide selection of mouth-watering cakes, slices and biscuits – all ready to grab and go.

Diners can choose to eat in the café, the undercover al fresco area or of course, takeaway.

Fill up your car, satisfy your hunger and enjoy fast, friendly service, at the all-new APCO Café 24-7, open all day, all night, everyday!

WELCOME STOP… Open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, Café 24-7 provides a welcome stop for both travellers and locals to refuel. Photo: Madeleine Caccianiga.

If the question is convenience

APCO is the answer GREAT RANGE OF GROCERIES… APCO Joe at the new APCO Service Station in Shepparton, where you can pick up a great range of grocery lines at competitive ‘supermarket pricing.’

Photo: David Lee.

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AFTER filling up your car, park right out front of APCO’s Easy Shop, in one of APCO’s handy parking bays and top-up with APCO’s extensive range of grocery lines at very competitive ‘supermarket pricing’.

Each week APCO’s Easy Shop features specials across a range of grocery lines, making the convenience a strong competitor to even the biggest chain stores.

APCO Director, Robert Anderson said, “We have tailored our range of grocery lines to give locals more of what they like, including many of their favourite, less expensive brands.

“We like to make things as easy and convenient as possible for our customers. People can pay for their fuel and their top-up groceries at the same time before grabbing a coffee and a quick snack from the café on their way out. It’s all about convenience - fuel, groceries, café food and coffee, all in one great location, with ample free parking.”

AUSTRALIAN OWNED INDEPENDENT

Meet the APCO Shepparton, Store Manager,

Jo Madden FOR APCO Shepparton Store Manager, Jo Madden, Shepparton has always been ‘home’, so when she took on her new role within APCO’s Shepparton service station she was pleased to be returning to her roots.

Jo has a long history in the fuel industry, some 22 years in Victoria and another three years in Queensland, in particular, for large suppliers, so when she was offered the opportunity to work for family owned APCO, she jumped at the chance.

Jo told The Adviser, “It’s in my blood now, I love working in customer service; meeting new people every day, because it makes every day different.

In her role since May this year, Jo added, “APCO is such a fantastic company to work for, it’s all about pleasing the customer and being family owned makes such a difference.

“We’ve had so much positive feedback since we opened, people have commented that ‘it’s great to see an Australian owned, Independent service station in the area’.

“We’ve also had some terrific comments on

the freshness and quality of Café 24-7’s food, our coffee and the overall look and feel of the place.

“The feedback has been really positive and we’d just like to let people know that we’re really open to their feedback, our team is fantastic and we’ll do anything we can to help.

“We’re really looking forward to the Grand Opening this Sunday, it’ll be a lot of fun.”

PLEASING ROLE… APCO Shepparton Store Manager, Jo Madden is pleased to have taken on the role and is looking forward to the company’s Grand Opening this Sunday. Photo: Madeleine Caccianiga.

APCO Shepparton, Café Supervisor,

Jo Prosser APCO Shepparton Café Supervisor, Jo Prosser is certainly a dedicated APCO staff member; driving over an hour either way every day from her home in Broadford.

Jo told The Adviser she’s planning on moving the whole family up to the Goulburn Valley in the very near future and has her sights set on Murchison.

Jo herself has over 10 years experience in the fuel industry and says she, “Loves the variety, chatting to different people every day, loves being busy and being involved in an industry that’s always busy.

When asked about what she most enjoyed about working for APCO, Jo said, “I love that they’re all about giving back to the community, they’re lovely people to work for and our contribution is valued.”

Jo also encouraged anyone that hasn’t yet popped in to, “Just call in and have a look.

You’ll be made to feel very welcome by the team; they’re a very friendly, sociable bunch and nothing’s too much trouble.”

BRINGING EXPERIENCE TO THE COMMUNITY… APCO Shepparton Café Supervisor, Jo Prosser has over 10 years experience in the fuel industry and will be pleased to bring that experience to the local community. Photo: Madeleine Caccianiga.

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APCO Foundation,

fuelled for a cause I N ke epi ng w it h t hei r obje c t ive of connecting with the community, a group of highly motivated, passionate APCO Franchise Owners came together in October, 2013 to form The APCO Foundation; a foundation designed to fund projects that make a difference at both a local and state level.

Owning and working in their own businesses means that APCO Franchise Owners are close to their customers and to their communities. They also know how important it is, to not only support their local communities but also continually engage with them.

The APCO Foundation proudly supports two major charity partners; Cops ‘N’ Kids, which is an organisation that provides a support network for families who have children suffering from cancer or other serious illnesses. The other is Cottage by the Sea, which is an organisation that provides care and support to children from challenging backgrounds from all throughout Victoria.

The Fuel for a Cause program raises funds through customer donation boxes located on the counters of APCO service stations and through the sale of APCO branded products in store.

The APCO head office has been just as committed and through donating 10c for

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COMMUNITIES SUPPORTED… The APCO Foundation; a foundation designed to fund projects that make a difference at both a local and state level. Photo: Supplied.

every bag of Chill Treats and Chill Water sold, has handed over $11,320 to the foundation. They have also decided in 2015 to donate 10c for every bottle of APCO Oil sold.

Some of our stores have run barbeques and been involved in holding pyjama days at work to raise awareness about the foundation at a local level, with customers also having donated thousands of dollars over the past year.

In 2014 the APCO Foundation launched their annual race day event and over the last two years, these ‘Race for a Reason’ events, have raised just over $80,000.

Every APCO has the opportunity to donate to a cause in their local region with the organisation committed to making a difference in local regions all over Victoria.

APCO has big dreams, and hopes to begin making a little difference in the world around us.