Repsol's first service station in the municipality of Lagoa, as well as the new dedicated store of the Honda Motos dealership in the western Algarve, were inaugurated this Thursday, May 19, in the industrial park of Pateiro, next to Parchal.
Alessandro Balzer, founder of the Angel Pilot Group, revealed to the Sul Informação that it is an investment of «two million euros, with Repsol's participation».
Stefania Balzer, daughter of the founder and today one of the heads of the group's companies, explained to our newspaper that "the Repsol project arose from my father's conviction that, here in this area, there was a need for a gas station and that this would be a perfect location, because it is central».
«The process progressed slowly, because this is not our area at all, while we dedicated ourselves to all our other activities and finally, with Repsol's support, we managed to make the investment and have all the support to understand a business that for us it was completely unknown», added the Sales and Marketing Director of the Nautical Division of the group, in an interview with Sul Informação.
At first, he added, «the project was just a gas pump and multipurpose building, without knowing what we were going to do there, but in 2017 my sister, Alessandra Balzer, who handles the motorcycles, started a partnership with Honda, for commercialization. of the brand in the western Algarve'.
The partnership with the Japanese brand went so well that new plans emerged: «we knew it was going to be a good bet, but it was a real surprise, it changed a lot the way the motorcycle business was framed in the group. There was a much greater expression of the boat business and that has changed».
It was then that Alessandra Balzer decided to «create an exclusive Honda space, for motorcyclists, in our building».
«We felt that, with the customer base that we were able to create with Honda, it was necessary to have our own location. They were with us there at Docapesca, but there we are more associated with boating», added Stefania.
At the inauguration of the Service Station and the Honda Dealership, Anabela Simões, vice-president of the Lagoa City Council, underlined the importance of this further commitment by the Balzer family, which «has been investing in the county for more than thirty years».
“In the midst of a pandemic, they had the courage to make this investment, which creates new jobs and offers services that did not exist here”, added the mayor.
Jorge Ribeiro, responsible for Repsol's Commercial Network Management, recalled that “with more than 500 service stations across the country, Repsol still did not have any in Lagoa, an important municipality in the Algarve region”. The investment was only possible, he added, because “we found the ideal partners, local people, from an entrepreneurial family”.
José Correia Luís, responsible for the Japanese brand's motorcycle business in Portugal and Spain, highlighted the happy coincidence of being the «first Repsol/Honda dealership we have». Now, as Repsol/Honda «is the most successful team in Moto GP, this will certainly also be a successful partnership», he predicted.
Alessandra Balzer, responsible, within the Angel Pilot Group, for the Honda motorcycle dealership, underlined that «now we only have one purpose: to satisfy the needs of our customers».
As a gesture of goodwill, the new Repsol Service Station will offer the Volunteer Firefighters of Lagoa a tank full of fuel in one of their tanker trucks. The vehicle only did not attend the opening because, as Tito Manuel Januário, vice-president of the Lagos Fire Department, explained, it was on a precautionary basis, due to the heat wave. That official thanked the «generosity», since fuel is one of the main costs of firefighters in their mission.
Operating every day from 7:00 am to 23:00 pm, the new Service Station will provide its customers with the complete portfolio of liquid fuels – Diesel e+10 Neotech, Efitec 98 Neotech, Efitec 95 Premium Formula Neotech, Simple Gasoline, Simple Diesel and Agrodiesel e+ 10 – as well as AutoGás, AdBlue in bulk, and a charging point for electric vehicles. It will also have an ATM and a convenience store and cafeteria.
Photos: Elisabete Rodrigues | Sul Informação
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