Garth Anderson was general manager at Matilda Fuel and Neumann Petroleum before it was bought out by Swiss-based Puma Energy, owned by global commodity trading firm Trafigura, for $250 million in 2013.
Mr Anderson said the sector, which has lost a number of independent operators in recent years, including Gull and Ausfuel, remains ripe for disruption.
Mr Anderson has come on board as general manager at Mega Fuel Ltd, which was launched 12 months ago and has already gone through rapid expansion, acquiring three businesses.
They are Diesel Express, an onsite refuelling business that services the civil and engineering sectors, Fuel Corp, another onsite refuelling business, and Carpentaria Fuels, a bulk fuel supplier with a retail operation.
The businesses collectively give Mega Fuel Ltd a wide geographical footprint that encompasses the Gold and Sunshine Coasts, Ipswich, Hervey Bay, Roma and North Queensland, and NSW.
Mr Anderson said the businesses also give Mega, which counts a major petroleum company as its supplier, a range of income streams.
“Competition has been reduced in the marketplace by all these family-run firms being bought out,” he said.
“We aim to be a market disrupter. We have gone through huge growth, however, we are buying established businesses and we have already added a lot of value to the businesses we have bought.”
Mr Anderson said Mega plans to bring value back to the retail sector through competitive advantages including lower overheads, that he said will feed into lower prices at the bowser.
The company has already acquired a service station at Ipswich Rd in Rocklea and expects to add more in the coming months.
Mega possesses a fleet of 25m B-double trucks based at Yatala and an extensive network.
It is also focusing on its profile by becoming a co-sponsor of the Walkinshaw Andretti United V8 Supercars team.
Mega has established its headquarters in Yatala, where it also has an unmanned diesel truck stop.
Mr Anderson said the business already is supplying “hundreds of millions of litres” of fuel and the unmanned truck stops are another part of its plans for growth.
He said Mega will roll out a number of the truck stops down the east coast in places such as Sarina, Bowen and the Sunshine Coast.
The company is also eyeing two more acquisitions.
“There is a void in the market from a lack of competition and we believe we can fill that.”
Mega Ltd, the controlling company of Mega Bulk Fuels, was established in 2016 and counts Sydney investor Rick Roberts and Paradise Point residents Corey Brown and Terry Knight as directors.
Extracted from Courier Mail
