Camlin service station in the spotlight
Joe Raleigh’s family-run Camlin Service Station has been serving one of Longford’s arterial routes since 1988.
The popular forecourt is already home to an award-winning BWG Spar, but Joe is convinced his latest partnership with Valero will see his business flourish in what are changing times for the industry.
“In November last year we found ourselves in a free situation,” Joe told IFCR. “Valero offered us a strong package and we accepted.
“The Texaco branding went up about a month ago and it looks fantastic.”
But Joe isn’t the only happy one, as he tells us he’s enjoying the reaction among his regular customers.
“We’ve had some great responses,” he said. “It’s a completely new forecourt, with new Texaco 20/20 brand imagery. The red really goes well with our Spar Express store too.
“All the branding we have is the most up-to-date, and it looks particularly good at night.”
But that’s not where Valero’s input ends, Joe tells us, speaking highly about the other support the firm provides.
“The partnerships means that we can offer our customers quality fuel products that they can trust and that we can stand over every litre of product that we sell should an issue arise,” he said. “Valero is passionate about the quality of its fuel and coupled with the trust associated with the Texaco brand, it gives us immense confidence in our forecourt offering.
“The partnership means we have a bright, safe and attractive forecourt that sells quality fuel.”
After discussing the positive future for his service station, IFCR asked Joe about the challenges facing the sector he is most concerned about.
“The fuel black market is still having a negative impact,” Joe said. “It’s also still difficult getting a good margin on fuels while trying to offer value for money to customers.
“There are also still a lot of costs, such as insurance, water, and power. But with Texaco, we feel that we’re in a good place going forward.
“Valero is the largest independent refining company in the world and have committed themselves to the Irish market. It’s great to be part of its increasing presence here.”
Addressing challenges posed by the black market fuels in more detail, Joe welcomed the launch of the latest fuel tracer Accutrace-S10 at the beginning of April, saying it would go some way to mitigating the impact of illegal fuel launderers.
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