APCO is celebrating the grand re-opening of the newly renovated APCO Warrnambool, now including Café 24-7, 10am-1pm on 12 November.
The store was APCO’s first retail location back in 1978, and APCO also celebrates 55 years of being in business.
Official opening by ribbon cutting with the Warrnambool Mayor and APCO co-Director Robert Anderson will take place at 11am.
There will be food tastings, ‘award-winning’ barista coffee, giveaways, balloons, face painting, balloon art, jumping castle, and from 10am the first 55 customers will receive a card for a free regular coffee with any fuel purchase.
Local Radio station CoastFM with ‘Rooky’ will be on site from 10am-1pm on the day creating buzz and giving away freebies to customers.
An APCO canvas bag filled with goodies is also on offer to customers for joining in the celebrations. There are also opportunities to win other prizes on the day thanks to APCO’s suppliers.
From humble beginnings, APCO grows
The Anderson family has been providing Victorians with an alternative to the petroleum and convenience giants since 1968 when Ron Anderson in partnership with his wife, Margaret, opened their Mobil Distributorship.
Mr Anderson joined the Vacuum Oil Company in 1962 and began working as a regional sales representative, servicing accounts from Seymour to Shepparton. He worked hard and was soon promoted to the position of retail representative servicing the Moonee Ponds metropolitan area.
As an ambitious and dedicated employee, Mr Anderson continued to climb the ranks. He was promoted to head office and assigned the responsibility of opening the Mobil Representative and Distribution training centre in Camperdown.
In 1968, after six years of loyalty, Mr Anderson purchased the Mobil Distributorship in Warrnambool and following several years of success as a distributor went into partnership with wife Margaret to launch their own independent distributorship Anderson Petroleum Company (APCO).
The husband-and-wife duo prospered in their independent wholesale business throughout regional Victoria and expanded their fuel wholesale distributorship to Geelong in the early 80s joined by their son Peter Anderson.
The first APCO retail store opened in Warrnambool in 1978 and continued growth saw more retail sites appear throughout Geelong and regional Victoria, expanding into NSW with Albury and Wagga Wagga sites, and plans on the go for South Australia next year.
The APCO Service Station business specialises in the supply of quality, competitively priced fuels, operating 24 hours, seven days, to provide the ultimate convenience, with top-up convenience shopping and boasting quality, freshly made on-the-premise takeaway food, and freshly ground barista style coffee under the APCO Café 24-7 brand.
APCO has something for all
As a uniquely independent brand with core family values, APCO has survived decades in a fiercely competitive market.
APCO Director Robert Anderson alongside his brother, Peter Anderson, have continued the legacy started by parents Ron and Margaret in the late 1970s.
“Obviously, we’re in the petroleum and convenience business but there is a real focus on our Café 24-7 coffee and foodservice offer, that is serving fresh, made on the premise, speciality, and gourmet lines”, Mr Anderson said. “We’re doing everything from fresh sandwiches, better-for-you salads and wraps, famous for fried foods, our dimmy and Jaffle deals.
“The Café 24-7 offers an extensive foodservice menu, something for all day parts and meal occasions, from ready-to-eat meals to hot served roasts, burgers, and National Award-winning barista made coffee”, he said.
“Our support office is based in Geelong, and we now operate 27 APCO Café 24-7 stores throughout regional Victoria and NSW.
“We’re uniquely independent and there are very few true independents left within the marketplace. APCO has its own differentiated independent brand. We own all our sites (not leased or have any oil company equity) and have complete control of our fuel supply chain, owning our fleet of APCO trucks and transport team operating and moving fuel 24-hours. So, this provides APCO with true, unique independence that secures our fuel supply chain, providing end-to-end control to enable our fuel quality guarantee, and maintaining fair and honest competitive fuel prices where we are represented, so that is good for our customers and the whole community”, Mr Anderson said.
“The fact that we are a family business means family values are evident within the APCO brand and our stores that serve their local communities. We instil that in our business and maintain that family spirit and feel our stores and Retail Partners are well-connected to the local community.
“Our newly renovated APCO Warrnambool store provides the ultimate, modern, top-up convenience with new cafe and dine-in experience. Customers will be surprised by what they can get every day, all day, all night from APCO Café 24-7 – to pick up their milk and bread, or enjoy a bite for brekky, lunch and dinner, or enjoy our barista made coffee 24-7.”
APCO Warrnambool is located at 485 Raglan Parade, Warrnambool Victoria 3280.
