More than gas: Rise of St Christopher's service station

It used to be that gas stations had one function – providing fuel. Eventually, other industry-related products, from batteries to power steering fluid, became available. Now, gas stations are a one-stop shop for customers passing through on their commute.

Service stations, as they are now called, are not an entirely new concept, but one can argue that St Christopher’s Station on Wrightson Road, Port of Spain has brought an international standard of service to TT. General manager Andre James spoke to Business Day on creating an innovative vision for the station and maintaining the brand during a pandemic.

The station, which opened in February 2016, is managed by James, who has extensive experience in marketing and branding.

James began his career in 1997, right out of a management training programme at Marketing and Trading Distribution, now Massy Distribution, where he worked his way up from management trainee to marketing manager and spent ten years with the company. He served in other managerial posts for major brands like Stag for Carib Brewery and Sunshine Snacks. He has been with St Christopher's since December 2016.

James boasts that the station is, unofficially, the best service station in the country. “There are many businesses being built like this now and this really was the template for it.” He said people in the industry have a healthy camaraderie and anyone can come to learn. He does not believe there is any need to withhold information on how to grow the business, even from people who can potentially become competition. Rather, everyone can help each other develop the industry together.

Reaching out to customers, other businesses

James said when the project first began, there really wasn’t anything like it being done in the country. “In assuming a leadership position, there will always be those trying to emulate what we do…For anyone to be in business for a lengthy time, they need to innovate.”

He added: “If you are not providing exactly what your customers want, you are going to find yourself out of business.” He said the covid19 pandemic posed a problem for everyone. For those in the service industry, it meant consumers were hit financially and unable to spend. It also meant ensuring staff was taken cared of, by creating a rotation system to accommodate the cut in work hours so no one would have to be sent home. The station, which usually runs 24/7, is now open for 12 hours during the stay-at-home orders implemented by the government to curb the spread of the virus. It also meant having to create inventive ways to attract business.

The station came into the spotlight in early May, when two officers entered to stop the sale of deconstructed doubles, made and packaged by Fat Boy doubles fresh every morning. The packages retailed for $30 and included four doubles and were among many other pre-cooked meals sold at the station. James and his team obliged with the officers’ request but were vindicated later that afternoon when Police Commissioner Gary Griffith apologised for the mistake.

“We had to ask ourselves, how are we going to meet this challenge?” said James about the incident. Since then, the station has been riding a wave of good publicity. It created an online conversation about innovative ways businesses have been reaching out to meet the demands of their customers. St Christopher’s used the momentum to include other pre-packaged food items from popular restaurants, such as Patraj’s Roti and Uncle Sam’s bake and shark. “Covid19 gave us the opportunity to do things differently. We want to be different.”

Another way in which the station is expanding its business is branding. Throughout the store, the St Christopher’s logo can be seen on a number of the more popular items, including branding and packaging hand sanitisers for the health conscious, umbrellas for the rainy season and coffee, their most popular food item.

The station has a grab-and-go station, where customers can have their coffee just the way they like it, whether its powdered or freshly brewed. Because of its popularity, the station teamed up with Caribbean Roasters Ltd to package its freshly ground arabica beans from Colombia. “People are very passionate about their coffee,” said James, with a laugh.

The station has also implemented a customer rewards programme, which has already accumulated a database of over 5,000 customers. Sign-up takes no more than two minutes at the station, and with that customers are eligible for coupons off in-store purchases.

“People would say why would a service station or a gas station give points on fuel when there are such small margins on the entire industry,” said James. “We are creating a different experience for customers. Even though the margins on fuel are small, we know you will use the points in the store.”

Giving a helping hand

While these remain uncertain times for many businesses, St Christopher’s has not taken for granted its ability to keep heads above water. Strengthening ties in the community is a priority. As such, the station recently distributed 80 hampers to the Maxi Taxi Association, the School for the Blind in Five Rivers, Arouca and St Christopher’s Taxi Cab Co-operative Society.

James said the taxi cab services have been hit terribly by the pandemic, as it has affected industries such as tourism, hotels and airports, through which they make their living. Therefore the station felt the need to assist. As a bonus, the children of the chairman of the station, Scott Fabres, and their friends were kind enough to place hand-written notes of support in each of the packages. “If it's one thing in TT, we have a lot of people willing to lend a hand. I’m really proud to be a Trinbagonian.”

Their reach in the community doesn’t end there. The station has also adjusted to the new normal by offering curbside and delivery services of food and groceries to businesses and residential homes in the area. They have partnered with FoodDropTT, an ordering and delivery service, for customers to access and order from their daily menu. This was also designed to target the elderly population. “You can’t come out due to covid19? No problem. We’ll come to you.”

Service with a smile

While many businesses in TT have developed an unfortunate reputation for less-than-friendly service, St Christopher’s hopes to change that. “The goal is to create St Christopher’s as a destination. We really want to set the benchmark in the industry. Not just the industry, but service in the country as well.”

The social media management team is tasked with ensuring that online queries and complaints are responded to in a timely manner. “We pride ourselves on getting feedback with the understanding that someone on a senior level will get back to you immediately within a very short period of time.”

New employees are given a thorough orientation so that they understand and align with the standards of the business, and are given additional support by the supervisory team, some of whom have been with the business since the beginning.

“If you intend to be in business for any period, not just covid19, you need to innovate, simply because our competition is not going to sit still,” said James. He added that in the years since the station has been operational, the team has taken the time to fully immerse themselves in “all aspects of the business,” and continue to look out for opportunities to expand and reach their customers.