Gull is all set to open its first South Island fuel retail sites bringing “much needed competition” to the Mainland.
The first site will open in Maheno, south of Oamaru, on October 2 with second site in Gore soon to follow later in the month.
Gull NZ general manager Dave Bodger says South Island motorists have been requesting that the “Gull Effect” moves south for many years.
“Now we will start with our first two sites below the 45th parallel and then move north through the rest of the Mainland …we are delighted.
“New tanks and new forecourt have taken us longer than intended to install at Maheno with some unexpected geotechnical issues and a need to relay the complete forecourt to meet modern safety and environmental standards.
“However, with the delays we have been successful in gaining a second existing service station on a prime site, again on State Highway One at the southern entrance to Gore.
“This is a large modern site with good tankage and a forecourt. We have some cosmetic changes to make and are very confident that it will soon follow Maheno in opening. We are aiming for early to mid-October,” he says.
Gull has also purchased land for one other site and executed agreements to lease and develop a further three sites in the South Island. Several other sites are also under negotiation.
“This is a good start and we are very pleased to be bringing much needed competition to the South Island. We noted earlier this year that the ‘Gull Effect’ may not reach far beyond Maheno initially so it’s really gratifying to confirm we have other concrete progress that will increase competition to the benefit of the Southern motorist,” Bodger says.
