Waitomo delivers Christchurch competition & choice for Xmas

Waikato-based fuel supplier Waitomo marks a major milestone for the Kiwi business tomorrow (Thursday 19 December), opening its first South Island Fuel Stop, in central Christchurch.

A market disruptor, Waitomo delivers competition and choice to Kiwi motorists wherever it operates.

Located centrally at 79 Fitzgerald Avenue, the new unmanned 24-hour Fuel Stop will offer retail and commercial customers Unleaded 91, Premium 95 and Diesel. Early in the New Year, a Waitomo Wash and Glow touch-free carwash will also open on site.

To celebrate, Waitomo has pushed prices down on all fuel grades at the Fitzgerald Fuel Stop for 24 hours from Thursday 12pm until Friday 12pm – with Unleaded 91 at $1.959 a litre, Premium 95 $2.109 a litre and Diesel $1.199 a litre.

Waitomo Group Managing Director Jimmy Ormsby says tomorrow’s opening marks the beginning of a new era for the 100-percent Kiwi, family-owned and run business.

“A year ago, we announced our intentions to move our expansion plans south, having led competition and choice in the North Island fuel market. Kiwis on the Mainland deserve to benefit from the price competition we’ve been driving – and today we’re delivering on that promise, just in time for Christmas.

“Regionally motorists in the South Island, like Kiwis in Wellington, have been paying a higher price for their fuel, and that’s not the Kiwi way. Our expansion into Wellington this year resulted in a significant price drop across all brands, so let’s see how we can stir things up down South.

Mr Ormsby says it’ll take time for Mainlanders to get to know the Waitomo brand, but with several new South Island sites under way, their presence will be felt quickly.

“Today’s opening means a lot to our team and to the Ormsby family. We’re a lean, low-cost family business, but we’ve shown we can deliver – opening nine new sites this year alone. 2020 is shaping up to be a record year for us too.

“We may be a small engine, but we’re certainly punching well above our weight in the fuel market. Just goes to show what hard mahi and a good dose of Kiwi determination can deliver.”

Customers will be welcomed on site with free coffee, ice-creams and giveaways to kick-start the Christmas celebrations.

As with all new Waitomo Fuel Stops, vapour recover technology has been installed on the pumps on site, a state-of the art system that sucks petrol vapour back into the pump, reducing carbon emissions.

Established in Te Kuiti more than 70 years ago by Desmond Ormsby, Waitomo Group now has 65 sites stretching from Paihia in the north and as far south as Christchurch. The company has a pipeline of new sites planned for 2020 as part of its national expansion, including sites in Northland, Auckland, Coromandel, Manawatu, Wellington, and throughout the South Island.

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