Eastern Cape in Global Retailing Spotlight – Mthatha Service Station in Line for International Award: INTERNATIONAL SPOTLIGHT –Caltex Fort Gale team in celebratory mood after the announcement the onsite convenience store was elected as Africa’s only entrant to the International Convenience Retailer of the Year award presented by NACS, the US-based international association for the convenience and fuel retail industry. LtR: Pat Kelly (Caltex Eastern Cape Marketer – COO), Caltex Fort Gale’s Jo Berlyn and General Manager – Goodmore Madombi, Clive Berlyn (CECM CEO) and Naseem Fataar (Chevron SA). Photo: FreshStop: Supplied July 2018 – MTHATHA CONVENIENCE STORE FreshStop at Caltex Fort Gale has been short-listed for the title of “best convenience store in the world” by a global association of fuel retailers and convenience stores – the only entrant from Africa in a line-up of 14 finalists from Australia, India and Europe. After just a year in operation, the Caltex Fort Gale FreshStop store – which has brought several “new to market” facilities and food offerings to Mthatha – made the cut for the International Convenience Retailer of the Year award presented by NACS, the US-based international association for the convenience and fuel retail industry. With 277 stores countrywide, FreshStop-at-Caltex leads the market for convenience stores on service station forecourts in South Africa, according to market researchers Nielsen, and is at the forefront of a growing consumer preference for small, local stores which now accounts for more than a quarter of the global grocery market. The Fort Gale store is one of 33 FreshStops sited at service stations under the umbrella of Caltex Eastern Cape Marketer (CECM), and one of six local award-winners that saw the province sweep the boards at the recent FreshStop national Retailer of the Year awards. The top three places in FreshStop’s 2018 national awards went to the Eastern Cape, for the stores at Caltex sites in Gonubie, Fort Gale and Beacon Bay, while Cookhouse and Northcrest Mthatha made the runners-up list. Caltex Hobie Beach in Port Elizabeth was a runner-up in the Best Coffee category, for its Seattle Coffee outlet, while CECM managing director Clive Berlyn was recognised as one of FreshStop’s “Top Brand Ambassadors” at the awards event. The placing of the Fort Gale Caltex FreshStop in the running for the … [Read more...]