John Antoniadis has spent 15 years with Adelaide’s Agostino Group, and as CEO he oversees a business that reaches well beyond the forecourt: 20 BP service stations trading under the group’s AMPM convenience brand, Subway and Carl’s Jr restaurants, farming and property development. Through all of it, one decision has stayed the same. Whenever an Agostino Group site is rebuilt, the forecourt equipment comes from Dover Fueling Solutions® (DFS).
“We’ve used DFS on all of our new rebuilds, probably for the last 15 years,” he says. “We’ve stuck with them since.”
A diverse group with deep BP roots
Agostino Group runs its business from a head office in the Adelaide CBD. About 95% of it is in South Australia, with one fuel site at Nhill, just over the Victorian border, and a recent move into Queensland with ten Carl’s Jr restaurants.
The fuel network has always been BP at heart. Five sites spent a period under the Caltex and then Ampol brands before the group brought them back to BP 18 months ago, returning the network to 100% BP. John has dealt with all three majors and is even handed about them: each has its strengths and areas to improve, which he calls “the life of the big corporate”.
The spread across food, fuel, farming and development is deliberate.
“Retail is a challenge at the best of times, so relying on one source of income is hard,” he says. “Spreading our wings a little is good for us at the moment. There’s never a dull day.”
Dispensers and automatic tank gauges as one package
When Agostino Group rebuilds a site, the dispensers and the automatic tank gauges (ATGs) go in together, from DFS. It is a simple rule, and one any operator could copy.
“We do the pumps and the ATGs as one package,” he says. “We like to keep it consistent. We’ve stuck with the one product and we haven’t had any issues.”
One supplier also means one point of contact for the whole forecourt, from the dispensers through to the tank gauges.
John is candid that the approach is not always the cheapest option on day one. “You may pay a little more upfront, or you may not,” he says. “But in the long run, it’s well worth it.”
Built for harsh conditions
The network is serviced by two national maintenance companies, and it stretches well beyond metropolitan Adelaide, with two remote sites sitting six hours north of the city.
“Some of our sites are in pretty remote places, in the middle of nowhere,” he says. “The conditions are harsh, and the equipment holds up well.”
He does not claim perfection. “I wouldn’t say it’s 100% of the time, but most of the time parts are available and the turnaround is relatively quick. We haven’t had too many problems in the past.”
For a site that far from the nearest technician, parts availability and a quick fix matter as much as the equipment itself.
Stock visibility from head office
The ATGs give John and his team a clear view of every site’s fuel position without relying on anyone on the ground.
“It gives us great visibility of our stock,” he says. “We’re not relying on manual dips or someone at the site doing it the old way. Every morning the levels come through automatically by email, so we’re not waiting on anyone to send them. It helps with stockouts and all sorts of things.”
Support from someone who knows the industry
John’s day to day contact at DFS is Paula Correa, ANZ Director.
“Paula has been fantastic,” he says. “Nothing is ever too hard for her, and her response is always great. She’s all over it and very knowledgeable about their products.”
A few Agostino Group sites have not yet been upgraded and still run older equipment. John is clear about what happens when their turn comes. “As soon as they’re upgraded, we’ll be putting DFS in.”
Looking ahead
Like every operator, Agostino Group is feeling the effect of high fuel prices on the shop.
“When customers are paying $200 or $300 to fill up, they’re reluctant to spend anything else in the store,” he says. He is quick to stand up for the console operators who take the brunt of customer frustration. “They’re on the front line and they cop the abuse, but they have zero control over it. It’s totally unjustified.”
EV charging is the other open question. Agostino Group has chargers at three sites, through a partnership with BP Pulse, and treats them as a test.
“It’s the million dollar question,” he says. “With fuel prices where they are, it’s almost worth it, but the cost of the infrastructure is extreme. We always allow for the infrastructure. Whether we actually put chargers in is always debatable. There’s no right or wrong answer at this stage.”
For now, the focus is on working through the existing network and upgrading where needed, while staying open to new opportunities.
The final word
For John, the logic that runs the forecourt is the same logic that runs the store.
“Everyone’s in a hurry. They want it quick and convenient, and they want consistency,” he says. “You need to know exactly what you’re getting.”
Fifteen years of rebuilds suggest Agostino Group has applied that to its own suppliers too: one package, one standard, and no reason yet to change.