Becoming an APCO Retail Partner
In the simplest terms, joining APCO as a Retail Partner can bring all the benefits and rewards associated with starting and running your own business but with significantly reduced risks. You will have a business of your own but you won’t be alone. APCO will be with you every step of the way providing essential guidance and you will be supported by our family-like culture and values system to help you achieve your goals for business success.
As an APCO Retail Partner, you are buying into a business with an established, successful business system and brand. With over 55 years’ experience in the fuel and convenience industry and a commitment to superb customer experience, the APCO brand has become synonymous with excellence and is a truly trusted brand. We are a strong Australian-owned brand which will help drive foot traffic to your store and have a proven track record of successful retail partnerships.
What’s more, our Retail Partners have lower initial operating expense and faster revenue growth, and the result is a faster return on your capital investment. We also offer additional rewards for Retail Partners who demonstrate exceptional brand alignment, retail operational execution, compliance and overall support for the business system.
APCO operates according to a proven, successful retail business model which has existed for decades. We share our business model with our Retail Partners, limiting much of the risk and saving you from costly errors in brand development, vendor and supplier negotiations, equipment selection, advertising, sales, operations and much, much more.
APCO offers all Retail Partners a comprehensive support program that includes training, initial marketing and ongoing operational support, teaching you what you need to know to help you run a successful APCO store. Once you are in and operating your store you will only be a phone call away from ongoing support from head office, together with field visits from your dedicated Business Manager and regular marketing campaign support.
All major fuel, Shop and food service equipment is fully supplied, maintained and repaired by APCO, we take care of the power, water and rates so you can focus on retail sales, stock management, and your people. We will always be there every step of the way, whether to help order, unpack and/or merchandise your startup stock. Moving forward, you will also benefit from strong relationships with suppliers that give APCO the purchasing power to pass on significant cost savings to our Retail Partners.
Have you got what it takes?
Becoming an APCO Retail Partner offers a unique opportunity and amazing rewards – but it’s not for everyone. APCO wants Retail Partners who are equally passionate about our brand and are wanting to actively contribute to our growth and success. We value drive, teamwork and collaboration and a genuine commitment to uphold the APCO brand and values.
We expect our Retail Partners to be self-motivated, willing to learn and to have a strong desire to succeed. You must be prepared to put in the necessary hard work to reap the rewards, and ideally be looking to commit to a minimum engagement term of five years running your APCO store.
From APCO’s experience of observing successful retailers within the system, the most important Retailer attributes are a long-term commitment to consistent levels of hard work, a positive attitude to maintaining open communication between yourself, APCO and our retail support team and a willingness to fully participate in all APCO group activities. We believe the best headstart you can give your business is to be fully immersed in every aspect of the operation. Our most successful Retail Partners lead by example and are involved in the daily operation of the business and are willing and able to participate in all tasks – from accepting deliveries, stocking shelves and keeping your store clean through to customer service, rostering, coaching and managing staff.
APCO Retail Partners must commit to adhere to the APCO business model including methods of operation, stock control, marketing, trademarks and logos, technology, design concepts, signage and store layout. They must also show a willingness at all times to enhance and improve the APCO business system, model and brand.
In our current Retail Partners words
Paul Armstrong: APCO Wodonga “If you are prepared to put in, you will be rewarded”
Vishal Codavalli: APCO Thomastown “I am impressed by the Business Model and the support offered by the APCO Family to help grow as a Retail Partner”
Craig and Rachel O’Loughlin: APCO Waurn Ponds “The business takes effort to work, but the work is enjoyable if you enjoy engaging with customers and helping your employees grow.”
Training and Support
When you become an APCO Retail Partner, you’re joining an established and recognised brand that offers support from day one and every day thereafter. We pride ourselves on helping our Retail Partners run profitable, growing businesses and we’ve invested significant time and resources to develop a comprehensive training program for all our potential retail partners – a program which provides all the information and resources you need to achieve your goals.
During your training period you will learn about all our systems and processes, and be trained to do every role in an APCO store. And we mean every role! From cleaning, stacking shelves and customer service through to stock control, managing deliveries and financial management; we believe you need to have a full and complete understanding of every aspect of an APCO store in order to apply your learnings and make your business a success.
Commitment to training includes a minimum of 6-weeks to a maximum 12-week training period, depending on the applicant’s progress and understanding. Training will require attendance at the APCO Support Office in Geelong and other locations during this time before final approval and acceptance of you as an APCO Retail Partner can be granted.
Our Support Office team will also always be on hand to provide general advice and support, and will send out key communications to keep you up-to-date with our future plans, marketing campaigns and current focus areas. We also actively seek feedback and input from our Retail Partners when making decisions about our brand, with regular meetings and the encouragement to take the initiative and suggest new ideas.
The Best of the Best
There is a significant commitment demanded of a potential Retail Partner during the selection process – for a very simple reason: We want the best possible candidates to become Retail Partners. We know the continued growth and expansion of APCO is intrinsically linked to the quality of our people and we take great care in screening and recruiting new Retail Partners, ensuring our selection process and initial training program is robust and thorough, and helps us to properly select the right people for the role.
To be considered, you must:
• Have the ability to build lasting local and community-based relationships;
• Have a passion for excellence and a commitment to customer service;
• Possess high-levels of financial literacy and experience – strong controls of margins, wages and expenses;
• Have commercial acumen with the ability to make good financial decisions and have a positive impact on profitability and sales;
• Have a hands-on approach to management and leading your team from the front;
• Be prepared to maintain your venue, POS systems, and conduct stock ordering and stocktakes;
• Be experienced with recruiting, training, motivating, rostering, directing and leading a team;
• Be available to work across a 24/7 roster; and
• Have an understanding that hard work and commitment will return success.
In short, it is a big commitment but we believe the potential rewards and benefits are well worth it!
If you think you have got what it takes to be a successful APCO Retail Partner, we’d love to hear from you today.
Please contact us at oliviab@apco.com.au or Phone 0407 394 406 to express your interest and take the first step to an exciting new career!
