Craig and Rachel O'Loughlin - Retail Partners

The journey to APCO

The 12 years prior to joining APCO were spent in the FMCG industry, working with some market leading beverage brands. For the last 5 years, I held the position of Victoria State Sales Manager with Frucor Suntory.

I have known the Anderson Directors for a long time, as well as quite a few successful Retail Partners. A major factor in joining was knowing the care and integrity with which the APCO leaders treat their people. That, combined with the business model which helps bring thousands of customers into store each day, were the key factors that attracted me to the business.

Being a retail partner

It has actually been one of the most enjoyable periods of my work life so far, with no two days playing out the same. It is a steep learning curve, with a lot of moving parts that take time to adjust to – which we did expect, but that doesn’t mean we were prepared for it! Rach and I both feel extremely lucky to have the opportunity to run the Waurn Ponds store. We have found some incredible people to work with us, and have a great customer base that has become part of our daily routine.

The full picture – challenges & rewards

The key challenge was clearly having a low understanding base coming in, and then hiring and training almost an entirely new team. But we have had strong support from the two RBM’s in the APCO business, as well as the Support Office team, so we didn’t feel alone when facing those challenges.

No doubt there is also a huge challenge in leading a 24 hour a day customer service business; building enough support into the staff roster and managing a long list of daily tasks brings complexity but we have a daily and weekly routine that is helping get us through.

As a major, dominant career goal of mine; starting this journey is a reward in itself. To be working on growing this business with my wife has also been fantastic. We have worked hard to sharpen the standards of this store, and so receiving positive commentary that we are respecting the APCO brand is an emotional reward and provides us with a lot of motivation to continue improving.

Support on the way

I couldn’t speak higher of the support we have received Support from Rob and Pete at the beginning; and continued support from the Head Office team. They spent some solid time in store, especially in the first few weeks – which now seem like a blur!

From sharpening up the food offer and aligning it to the APCO way, to resetting aisles and shelves, fixing pricing issues and providing key equipment – they really have been huge. Key staff have provided constant guidance and support, taking the time to not only fix problems but also teaching us how to work through issues ourselves.

Word to the wise

Speak to the Andersons about the APCO Foundation and what it means to help others, and you have a great first reason to join APCO. There are some terrific people, both in stores and in Head Office. These people all care, and I have found 100% of them available to take a call or give support if needed.

The Business Model brings in a lot of customers, so if you are keen on being a retailer in this space, this is a great first step. The business takes effort to work, but the work is enjoyable if you enjoy engaging with customers and helping your employees grow.

Craig and Rachel O’Loughlin - Retail Partners