{"id":12686,"date":"2019-09-27T13:49:26","date_gmt":"2019-09-27T13:49:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/neighbourhoodretailer.com\/?p=12686"},"modified":"2019-09-27T13:49:26","modified_gmt":"2019-09-27T13:49:26","slug":"celebrating-a-decade-of-branded-success-in-the-northern-irish-market","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/neighbourhoodretailer.com\/celebrating-a-decade-of-branded-success-in-the-northern-irish-market\/","title":{"rendered":"Celebrating a decade of branded success in the Northern Irish market"},"content":{"rendered":"
2019 has been a standout year for Solo Petroleum\u2019s owner, who has not only celebrated a milestone birthday this summer, but is also reflecting on the decade since he launched one of Northern Ireland\u2019s only home-grown fuel retail brands.<\/p>\n
The company has developed considerably in the last 10 years, growing from five to 25 fuel tankers, with \u00a3150m of sales predicted for this year alone. Now with over 80 Solo branded sites in Northern Ireland and a further two in Scotland, Solo Petroleum is one of the most recognised fuel suppliers in the country.<\/p>\n
While Solo Petroleum officially entered the marketplace as a branded fuel in 2009, Solo\u2019s journey began some 35 years ago, right after Andrew left school. Armed with a small deposit \u00a0and a desire to set up his own company, Andrew purchased his first fuel tanker.<\/p>\n
\u201cFrom the age of 12 I always wanted to work \u2013 from farming to delivering firewood at the weekends, I always had something to keep me busy,\u201d \u00a0Andrew tells Neighbourhood Retailer. \u201cWhen I started AH Fuel Oils in 1987, Burmah Oil was one of the most established fuel companies in Northern Ireland and probably the UK at the time. After they collapsed, there was a market for someone to look after the rural petrol stations in NI. None of the other oil companies \u2013 which were mostly all majors \u2013 wanted to take them on because it didn\u2019t suit their business model.\u201d<\/p>\n
Seeing a gap in the market, Andrew began delivering \u00a0home heating solutions and petroleum products to independent retailers across the province but it wasn\u2019t until 2009 that the Solo brand was born.<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cAfter 10 years it was clear we needed to establish a brand,\u201d Andrew explains. \u201cAt the time there was a large presence of unbranded forecourts in NI as well as a prominent cross-border smuggling influence. The public were very aware about what was going on in the fuel trade and everyone was very brand orientated; they knew that if they were pulling into a branded site that they were getting quality fuel.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSo, we approached retailers and told them that we were launching \u00a0a fresh new forecourt brand and that we wanted to tailor packages to suit every individual business needs; even the smallest ones.\u201d<\/p>\n Giving smaller dealers the opportunity to partner with a respected brand name, was one of the main motives behind launching the Solo name a decade ago; something which is still prominent in the business today. Andrew reports that research conducted by the company has shown that fuel volumes will increase by at least 20 percent when branding an unbranded canopy with the iconic Solo logo.<\/p>\n \u201cSupermarkets play a huge role in dictating the price of fuel in NI and occasionally they can be hard to compete with,\u201d he says. \u201cWe try to hold our own with the multiples but not everybody is supermarket driven and providing a personal service is often more important. A lot of our dealers are in areas where their forecourt is a big part of the local community.\u201d<\/p>\n Andrew is joined in the business by his sister Helen, a 10-strong team of head office staff and a team of highly trained and competent drivers. \u00a0Solo\u2019s business development manager Malcolm Hill is a familiar friendly face among the company\u2019s dealer partners having helped the company grow from grassroots level.<\/p>\n