A 10-year cooperation renewal has been inked by ASTRON Energy and FreshStop, one of the top forecourt retail brands in South Africa.
Through the agreement, Astron Energy, which runs a retail network of more than 800 service stations in South Africa and FreshStop, a division of the Food Lover’s Market group of enterprises, will continue their 15-year partnership.
A network of Caltex and Astron Energy service stations is run by Astron Energy. Presently, more than 330 service stations have a FreshStop, which has a variety of quickservice food options and at certain locations,the globally known coffee brand Seattle Coffee Company.
“Our strategic alliance with FreshStop dates back to 2009 and we are pleased to extend this partnership for a further 10 years,” stated Thabiet Booley, CEO of Astron Energy.
“This demonstrates our confidence in and appreciation for the FreshStop product, as well as Astron Energy’s sustained dedication to investing in our network and the nation’s future.”
“We have two proudly South African brands, Astron Energy and FreshStop, seeking to provide outstanding customer service and satisfying experiences for consumers,” he continued.
“Over the past fifteen years, with a financial commitment of over R830-million, the Freshstop brand has become synonymous with creative 24-hour convenience,” stated Brian Coppin, CEO of the Food Lover’s Market Group. We will be able to expand our ever-expanding reach and continue to provide over 200 000 daily South African consumers with excellent prices, variety and a world-class forecourt experience thanks to our winning collaboration with Astron Energy.
Joe Boyle, CEO of FreshStop, continued, “We are thrilled about the extended agreement. Seven thousand new jobs have been created as a result of the relationship, and we’ve been successful in making Seattle Coffee, Crispy Chicken, Sausage Saloon and Grill to Go well-known food and drink brands inside our stores.
FreshStop has 330 locations, including 126 for the Seattle Coffee Company, 154 for Crispy Chicken, 102 for Grill-to-Go, 42 for Fill A Kota, 22 for Sausage Saloon and 23 for Manhattan Coffee.
One of the biggest forecourt retail companies in South Africa, FreshStop offers forecourts the convenience of 24-hour shopping.
Launching its new name in late 2021, Astron Energy, which runs the Caltex network under licence from Chevron, rebranded the first of its more than 800 locations in August 2022.
Farouk Farista, General Manager of Retail and Marketing at Astron Energy, stated: “We are dedicated to expanding our collaboration further. FreshStop is one of the standout features on the fuel retail landscape in South Africa.” This can involve redesigning or updating FreshStop’s appearance on Astron Energy’s websites.
As a result of the premier convenience store offering, FreshStop-featured websites have experienced notable increases in traffic and income, according to Farista.
Boyle continued, “Our data indicates that franchisees benefit from increased fuel volume when a fuel forecourt store switches to the FreshStop brand and in the first ten years, the FreshStop brands saw an average annual compound rise in sales of 60%.”
Astron Energy and FreshStop’s 10-year extension deal is no longer exclusive and Farista stated that the fuel company is continuously examining new prospects and trends in the fuel retail industry.
