New operators of the once struggling Rubis Service station on Fontabelle, St Michael are giving the assurance that they are here to stay with new and improved services.
The facility, which was previously operated by Warners Turnstone Trading when it opened in February 2017 after a joint $1 million investment, has changed hands, but not before it was forced to close for a short while after a slump in business.
The new operator of the franchise is Zap Inc. which officially started at the location in December last year. Business Development Manager Kevon Lord said he has been able to take some suggestions from customers and upgrade the facility.
He said while business was initially slow when they reopened two months ago, he was satisfied that things were beginning to pick up.
“It is about going forward with better. As customers were coming back to us realizing that the gas station was open, they were giving us suggestions trying to see what would be coming forward because it was previously closed for a little bit… We intend to make things better, and it has been picking up very nicely. So much so that as you can tell, we have cars backed up,” he said, pointing out that customers who left when the service station closed, had been returning.
Coinciding with Valentine’s Day on Thursday, the location held a special promotion for customers who had an opportunity to win a variety of prizes and learn about the new offerings.
Lord said he was pleased with how business was going so far and he’s optimistic about the performance of the location, which currently employs 12 people.
“Upon taking over, we took the opportunity to upgrade the facility in terms of giving it a fresh look and doing some renovations on the inside. [This was] all towards customers’ satisfaction and bringing an air of newness and freshness and innovation to the store because we were mindful of the previous situation when it was under previous management. So we wanted a different experience, a better experience,” said Lord.
Lord hinted that Zap Inc. would be acquiring licenses for the operation of other Rubis service stations in the future.
Apart from different colours, officials have introduced a deli and made slight rearrangements to the layout inside the Fontabelle service station.
Retail Account Executive at Rubis West Indies Ltd Amina Green welcomed the new operators, stating that Thursday’s promotion was a good way of reintroducing customers to the location.
Throughout the day, customers, once they spent $50 or more in fuel, had the opportunity to win vouchers from Platinum Motors, a breakfast for two at the Crane Resort, among other prizes. They also took part in a “spin the wheel” promotion where they walked away with several gifts from a number of sponsors.
“We chose to do the event now because we wanted to make sure everything was ready. We did some renovations to the store. It was upgraded so we have more offering in the store,” said Green.
“We have a lot of things coming from Rubis on a whole, but we started the year at Rubis Fontabelle for Valentine’s Day,” she added.
There are 17 locations of that brand service station across the island. (MM)
