Saturday 22 March saw the opening of the new Mobil Coromandel Fuel Stop operated by GOfuel on the corner of Seabrooke Place and Mahi Place on the southern outskirts of the township. The 24/7 fuel facility is a collaboration between local business couple Ian and Patricia Whimp, and GOfuel who are a Mobil Branded Reseller.

“I pumped my first gallon of Mobil fuel at my parent’s garage in Ruakaka,” said Ian, “and this in a way is the culmination of our commercial life’s work.”

Ian and Patricia’s ‘retirement’ to Coromandel was short lived with the purchase of Strongman Diesel Distributors in 2020 from Nigel Strongman. Coromandel Diesel Limited as it is now called, is a business-to-business fuel distribution business servicing mainly the aquaculture industry.

“Nigel was great to us when we moved up, and so I started helping him out,” said Ian. “The opportunity to expand into a fuel stop operation post-purchase was obvious, and so we began the process with GOfuel.”

The site accepts eftpos, visa, credit cards and all Mobilcards.

Adding increased significance to the occasion, the Coromandel Fuel Stop is the first retail outlet for Mobil branded reseller GOfuel, until now a business-to-business reseller predominantly in the maritime, rural, and aviation industries. On hand at the opening was company managing director Rob Bolton.

“It’s very exciting for us,” said Rob. “We’re opening another one in the South Island, but we are very proud to have our first, here in Coromandel.”