Caltex Eastern Cape Marketer (CECM) – the largest Caltex-Chevron franchisor in Africa – unveiled its biggest investment in the Port Elizabeth region to date in New Brighton today [Wednesday, 5 July 2017] as the company continues its drive for growth, with a focus on creating hubs that attract new business and employment opportunities.
CECM’s R15-million investment in relocation and a complete rebuild of the George Motors service station, which services the busy industrial hub of Struandale and the residential area of New Brighton and now includes a 24-hour FreshStop convenience store, reflected the company’s strategy of investing in neglected and under-serviced areas, CECM chief executive Clive Berlyn said.
“This is not about making us feel good. It’s a sound business decision that brings services closer to people and the service stations in turn become hubs that attract other businesses and entrepreneurs to the surrounding area and create further employment,” he said.
CECM chair Stephen Dondolo echoed Berlyn’s words, saying that his African Pioneer Group had invested in CECM particularly because of the company’s strategic focus.
“We need to show people that investing in under-developed areas makes good business sense. This investment is a show of faith in the community of this area,” Dondolo said, also noting that further retail development on the remaining portion of the site was expected in the near future.
CECM’s investment in construction of the new service station brought further benefit to the area, as roadworks to create access to the site also improved traffic flow and access into the residential area.
Local businessman and EP Rugby president André Rademan has owned George Motors for the past 17 years and said that the new service station – boasting state-of-the-art fuel pump technology and stringent environmental standards – provided a centre of convenience and access to the surrounding community. Rademan invested a further R1,5-million by adding the FreshStop outlet to the offerings.
“We have been here for 17 years and we are involved in this community – we support schools and the old age home, and people know us, we have built up relationships. So it was important to us to be able to develop this facility to serve the people who live and work here,” Rademan said.
Adding to the rugby flavour of the launch event, well-known rugby commentator and former Springbok Makhaya Jack urged the people of Nelson Mandela Bay to support and protect the business – “the more they can expand and grow here, the more people they can employ,” he said.
Rademan said all the staff from the old site across the road had retained their jobs in the new service station, with the expansion of the business and the addition of the FreshStop creating nine new jobs.
FreshStop operations director Dave Hogg said CECM now had 30 of the popular convenience stores in the company’s nationwide network of 255 outlets.
“We are pleased to be growing our brand in partnership with CECM. This development was particularly exciting because it was built from scratch, enabling us to tailor the store and the product offerings to the needs of the surrounding community,” Hogg said.
Congratulating CECM and George Motors on the new development, Nelson Mandela Bay Business Chamber acting CEO Prince Matonsi said investments in township areas were a welcome boost to economic activity and employment in the area.
The all-new George Motors represents CECM’s biggest single investment to date in the western region of the Eastern Cape, and is the latest step on a business journey that has seen over R500-million invested over the past decade in acquisitions, new sites and upgrades of existing sites. There are more than 100 retailers in the Eastern Cape part of the CECM network.
Alan Straton
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