MOOSE JAW — One South Hill gas station has made the decision to go independent so that it can continue to offer the best possible price of fuel for its customers.
The South Hill Esso — now known as South Hill Gas — has been owned by co-owners Mohammed Malik and Abdul for three years now and the decision to go independent was finalized recently.
“We just love local, and that’s one of the basic reasons why we decided to be independent,” announced Abdul, one of the gas station’s co-owners. “And it’s because we are independent that we will be able to put all those things (including lower gas prices) in proper shape.”
South Hill Gas maintains a diverse staff of around six employees and will continue to maintain its usual range of products and services including fuel, automotive products, snacks, and — free coffee with every visit, of course.
“We want to maintain the prices (that our customers are used to) so people within… and outside the community who are coming to get gas from us are happy,” he said.
“When they are happy, we are also happy, and we want to be extremely local and be part of the community.”
Abdul said the decision to go independent wasn’t met with any hard feelings on behalf of the former brand or Moose Jaw’s former local franchisees. “It was just a mutual agreement with both of us, and it went on perfectly,” he explained.
One possible concern among the gas station’s regular customers is whether or not they can continue to collect or use their fuel reward points at the newly independent location.
“We don’t deal with points, but when you look at the difference in the prices at our gas station, you get a lot of money back,” he noted. “Let me give you an instance: if you buy $100 worth of gas from us, you might get up to, like, $7 back. You can’t get that amount back in points.
“If there’s any way to drop (the price of gas) down from what we’re selling at now, we’re going to do that,” he added. “That, I want to assure you.”
The location’s gas prices are apparently so low on average that some critics claim the new owners are selling a diluted or low-grade fuel product. Abdul responded to the claim stating that he doesn’t sell “fake gas” and pointed out that tampering with the fuel product is against the law.
The station’s lower gas prices don’t mean lower quality. They offer the same high-quality fuel as before, but as an independent business they can now adjust profits and budgets more flexibly than franchises.
The newly independent business is also seeking a partner for a unique career opportunity to help reopen its onsite automotive shop. Although South Hill Gas cannot offer automotive services at this time, Abdul hopes to resume services with the right partner.
“If I find someone who is qualified to do that kind of stuff, and then at the same time is highly committed to his own and to our business, then fine — we should sit down,” Abdul confirmed.
In the meantime, everyone’s welcome to stop by to fuel up and have a free cup of coffee.
South Hill Gas is located at 405 Ninth Avenue Southwest and can be reached at 306-692-7212. The store is open from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekdays and from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. on weekends.
