The change was not without its challenges. With the country under lockdown, project communication and coordination had to be undertaken virtually, making some tasks more difficult to fulfill than usual. Some groundwork had been completed in advance, with the majority of sites having been assessed for fuel delivery standards before the lockdown.
Communication with the store managers on each of the sites was critical to ensure a seamless switch between suppliers. All store managers were provided with a welcome pack, which was followed up with a review to ensure they were fully briefed and informed.
Simon Fawkes, national account manager for Valero, said, “I was particularly impressed with the enthusiasm, interest and cooperation shown by all the Co-op store and team managers. A number of the sites had been supplied by Valero previously, so it is a real pleasure for Valero to welcome them back and to welcome the new ones too. In addition to these 28 sites, a further two sites will be added in the coming months, bringing the total to 30."
Andrew Cox, Valero's director of sales and marketing, said, "We've worked with the Co-op since 2005 and our long term partnership has certainly helped facilitate our success in delivering this project. I'm thrilled that we're now supplying a further 28 Co-op sites and it's great news that we've been able to bring this project together successfully in such challenging circumstances."
Elite Garages, one of the leading independent forecourt operators in the south, has agreed a new long term supply agreement with Valero. The agreement, which began recently, sees nine sites based in Hampshire, Surrey, Winchester, Sussex and Cornwall renewing with the Texaco brand.
The company has a long history with the Texaco brand and had no hesitation when it came to making a renewal decision. Richard Whittemore, owner of Elite Garages, has been more than satisfied with the service he has received over the years and sees their relationship with regional manager, Keith Evans as a real asset to the company and the main reason behind staying firm with Texaco.
Richard said, “Our regional branded sales manager Keith and his team at Valero are always on hand to support us and any issues have always been dealt with quickly and efficiently, which is extremely reassuring." Richard went on to say, “The relationship and support is at the heart of our partnership and it's this that makes a difference for us, especially when we're busy running other businesses outside of the forecourts. We feel like we are in safe hands with Texaco at all times."
Amongst the nine Texaco-branded service stations and convenience stores, the sites offer a range of other services such as post offices, garage workshops (included on four of the sites), car washes and also the UK's first drive-through Cornish pasty service at the Scorrier Service Station site in Cornwall.
Outside of the forecourt business Richard also owns an expanding wholesale tyre business that has tripled its turnover in the last few years and a successful rental property business. His portfolio of businesses doesn't stop there though. Richard also owns an 800 acre farm in West Sussex that is home to emus, deer, cattle, sheep and 850 lambs that joined them at the end of this year's lambing season.
Although Richard juggles different businesses, it is the petrol stations that are an important part of his portfolio because of his deep rooted family connections. Richard's parents owned a petrol station with an attached workshop in High Wycombe when he was growing up, where he first became exposed to the fuel and automotive business. Elite Garages now has three generations of the family working together including Richard's daughter Sophie and another daughter Kelsie and son Jack who have both recently completed business degrees and are looking to get involved in the service station and tyre side of the business.
Andrew Cox, Valero's director sales and marketing, said, “I'm delighted that Richard continues to see Valero as the fuel supplier of choice for all nine of the Elite Garage service stations. It's great to hear that our support has been of such great value to Richard over the years. We have a long history with the company and I'm sure we will keep the strong relationship going for years to come."
Shift workers in Operations at Valero Pembroke refinery have donated £25,000 to PATCH to help those in need who are struggling during this difficult time. Pembrokeshire Action to Combat Hardship – PATCH – has been giving free food parcels, clothing and household items to those in financial need in Pembrokeshire since 2008.
The workers are employed by the refinery to keep it operating in shifts, night and day. They canvassed opinion among themselves and decided together to make the large donation to PATCH.
This act of generosity will help provide local families in Pembrokeshire with the necessities that they need while the lockdown continues and beyond.
PATCH is struggling to deal with the safety requirements of working safely together and dealing with the public. It has temporarily closed two of its sites to concentrate its volunteers and food in three of its bases.
Tracy Olin (pictured, in pink top), PATCH Manager, said, “When Valero called I couldn't believe what I was hearing. We have never received such a large donation, and it's almost half of our total income for last year.
“This will help so much as we've seen such an increase in clients and we've had to change some of the way we do things to make sure all that need to can access our donations. This has all put a financial strain on our work. We cannot thank the staff enough for their continued support."
Stephen Thornton, Manager Public Affairs said, “The shift workers from the Valero Operations Department at Pembroke refinery are delighted to be able to make this donation. PATCH is at the front line in delivering provisions and the Ops team have collectively decided to donate towards helping families who are disadvantaged in our local community. We are all in this together and everyone is keen to help. The health and safety of our communities come first for us and we stand side by side and shoulder to shoulder with everyone."
As a company that is committed to supporting the communities in which it works, Valero will be helping a number of frontline charities during this difficult time. Valero will be providing financial assistance including an amount of free Texaco fuel to FareShare, Age UK, The Trussell Trust and the East End Emergency Fund. Valero's Pembroke refinery are also giving funding to support activities in their local community, including PPE to local clinics.
Petrol near meFareShare is a UK-wide network of charitable food re-distributors, made up of 17 independent organisations. Together they take good quality surplus food from across the food industry and distribute it to almost 11,000 frontline charities and community groups.
Age UK is the country's leading charity for older people, providing vital services for those who have no one to turn to. We exist to help older people when they need us the most. We are in urgent need of funding to keep our vital national and local services open during this – a time when the most vulnerable older people need us more than ever.
The Trussell Trust supports over 1,200 food bank centres in the UK and Northern Ireland to provide emergency food and practical support to people in , while campaigning for a UK without the need for food banks.
The East End Emergency Fund has been set up by The East End Community Foundation (EECF). Valero has worked with the EECF for many years and the Emergency Fund will be used to support the most needy and vulnerable in London's poorest borough.
Valero, who market fuel in the UK under the Texaco brand, will also support these charities through Texaco's loyalty programme Star Rewards. Star Rewards members will be able to donate their loyalty Points to any of these charities, and all donations will be matched by Valero. For example, a member can donate 250 Points and Valero will double the donation, increasing it to 500 Points which is worth £5. Similarly, a 500 Point donation will be doubled to 1,000 Points and be worth £10 and a 1,000 Point donation will be increased to 2,000 Points / £20.
Valero is a manufacturer and fuel wholesaler that does not own or operate any Texaco service stations, however we are continually looking at ways we can support our retailers and local communities at this difficult time. We continue to encourage respect for the health and wellbeing of others and that government advice on social distancing and sanitisation is followed at all times.
Please continue to stay safe and help those who may need support during this .
Despite the ever-changing situation regarding the response, be assured that Texaco branded service stations in the UK and Ireland remain well supplied and we do not anticipate any impact to fuel supplies.
Our dedicated employees have plans in place to maintain business continuity should impact any of our terminal, pipeline and supply operations. We also have prepared a wider contingency plan that will be actioned as appropriate, should the situation change or if certain government emergency plans are enacted. We continue to maintain regular contact with our contractors and key vendors to closely coordinate commercial operations and ensure the proper resiliency throughout our supply chain.
We continue to follow government advice and are taking all measures to ensure the health of our employees and contractors working in our supply operations.