Engen, South Africa’s leading fuel retailer has scored another win for black economic empowerment with the appointment of Mackay Bundwini as the franchise owner of its next 1-Stop retail service station. “The opening of Platinum 1-Stop is a beacon of transformation within the industry,” says Engen’s General Manager of sales and marketing, Joe Mahlo. “This venture is also a source of hope – it will create another 200 permanent jobs, addressing huge unemployment in the area.” Engen is targeting 50% black ownership of its franchises through various initiatives, including a retail franchise funding partnership with the NEF and a focus on bringing facilities in Gauteng’s townships up to date.

Top tier offering
Platinum 1-Stop East and West will join Engen’s other top-tier sites with a high expected fuel throughput, Corner Bakery franchise and multi-partner retail offering. Currently there are 47     1-Stop sites in the country and 1063 service stations overall.

The new landmark, at the confluence of the N1 and the N4 highway enables easy motorist access and boasts the following offerings:
• Wimpy
• Quickshop
• Corner Bakery pastry and meals
• Mobile point-of-sale convenience for fuel purchases

Seasoned operators
“The appointment of Mr Bundwini is epitomic of what we want to achieve in the business, including the customer-facing side,” Mahlo adds. “He brings a wealth of retail experience to a top-tier site – a winning combination.” Mr Bundwini and his wife sharpened their skills in retail by running butcheries in Cape Town and liquor outlets in Soweto in the 1970s and 80s. In 1996, they sold the butchery and liquor businesses to operate the very first generation of McDonald’s outlets in South Africa.
The Bundwinis ran two of these stores in Pretoria and sold them at the end of Feb 2013 after 17 years, in order to focus on the Engen Platinum 1 Stop in Pretoria. They still operate four Woolworth stores in Zeerust, Mmabatho, Lichtenburg and Mafikeng.Some of their achievements include taking the Mmabatho WW store from R17 million to R43 million in turnover, and winning Rookie Franchisee of the Year in 2007. “We can’t wait to do business and deliver on our promise of extraordinary service and products," says Mr Bundwini.

Location, location, location
This year, Engen is focusing much of its retail service strategy on service station site selection. The company has budgeted R100 million to upgrade key sites around the country and bring new sites on stream. “Platinum 1-Stop is servicing one part of the country that was desperately in need of such a fantastic facility,” Mahlo says.“Engen 1-Stops are specifically designed to meet the needs of the long distance travelers by providing total convenience. Both tourists and business travelers are catered for at these sites. Engen actively promotes safe travelling habits and we encourage long distance travelers to stop often, rest and freshen up. The facilities available at Engen 1-Stops have been extended well beyond fuel only.”