It’s been five years in the making: an ambitious plan to make Lowes Petroleum more than a trusted regional fuel provider and transporter, but a company invested in adding to the lives of those who live rurally.
It’s called The Local Hub, and since the prototype showcased at the Lauderdale service station on the outskirts of Hobart, Tasmania, people have been talking.
The store’s concept was developed by retail design consultancy ACRD in consultation with Lowes Petroleum’s Head of Sales and Marketing Sharon White.
Lowes Petroleum was not just looking to provide a better experience for drivers but create more than a service station; a multifunctional retail destination offering a wide range of goods and services.
“There’s not a day that goes past when one of our team in Lauderdale are not complimented on the store fitout by customers,” Ms White said. “It was one thing to be confident of the look in development, but to step inside and see it all come together was amazing.
“Retail offers flexibility and adaptability. And just like the variety of our service stations we needed to create an offering that was nimble enough to be scaled up or scaled down depending on the site size and location.
“Long term planning identified a need to create a unique identity, complementing and extending the Lowes Petroleum brand where we could deliver a retail offering similar if not better to our competitors. It also needed to be strong enough, and carry solid brand recognition, so it could hold its own on a canopy when we could not use the bp branding.”
The challenge was developing a standardised retail store design (layout, colour palette, finishes, fixtures, and fittings) that could be rolled out for differing sites: used in both scenarios, e.g., BP or LPS branded retail site.
The concept store design also needed to be easily manipulated to suit specific sites, such as greenfield projects but also allowing for retrofitting Lowes Petroleum’s existing network, as and, when required.
“The Local Hub allows us to provide food services not often available in small regional centres, through exclusive products and promotions: all cultivating our positive reputation and contributing to customer loyalty,” Ms White said.
“A well-stocked retail store attracts more customers, some visiting not just to refuel their vehicle but stock up for a long trip. This increased footfall leads to higher sales volumes.
“We’re creating a hub where people can get together: whether they come for coffee, the food, to collect parcels or even exchange or fill a gas bottle, we just wanted to develop an offer that virtually had everything, as much as we could have, to bring people in.”
Work is underway to have the second Local Hub at bp Armidale (NSW) opened for Easter followed by bp Gunnedah (NSW) in coming months.
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