Rotorua petrol station robbed eight times in 10 years to become self-service

A petrol station manager beaten in a robbery says locals will no longer staff the 36-year-old fuel stop due to rising violence.

Gull Edmund Rd manager David Davies said from tomorrow, the store would close and the forecourt would be run by Gull as an unmanned, self-service station — bringing to an end 36 years of local operations.

He said robberies — about eight in 10 years — were the reason for the change.

Gull New Zealand said it was not involved in the decision for the site to become unmanned, but said crime was not the reason.

Davies, who has worked at the store for 34 years, said it had been robbed twice in the last year.

“We’d stay open if we hadn’t got robbed — we’ve been armed robbed eight times in probably 10 years ... And they’re getting more violent.”

Gull Edmund Rd manager David Davies says the site will become unmanned after several robberies. Photo / Andrew Warner

Davies said he was beaten in a daylight armed robbery last year. “They come in when customers are here ... they come in at any time.”

Davies suffered “a few kicks and a few punches” and took a week off work.

He alleged the robbers only wanted cigarettes — “it’s not for food or anything like that”. Davies said the decision to close was made “before someone really gets hurt”.

“The staff are more important than anything.”

Davies said he and the two other employees all had new jobs, which the owner helped them to get. “We’ve only got three left because we can’t get anyone to work because no one wants to work in service stations anymore because it’s too dangerous.”

Davies said he felt “a bit upset” about leaving because he knew many customers.

Gull Edmund Rd petrol station is going unmanned because of continuous armed robberies - 8 in 10 years. The manager David Davies, who has worked there for 34 years, says the last day staff will be on site is Friday. 30 March 2023 The Daily Post Photo / Andrew Warner

“I’ve been working here for that long I know everybody. And to say goodbye to everyone is pretty sad.

“The majority of people just want to come here and chat and get their fuel and that and we’re local, but as I say, we just can’t be there with the threat of someone getting hurt.”

Gull Edmund Rd owner Paul Martelli said the reason the site would become unmanned was “we don’t feel it’s safe for our staff”.

“It’s worked for us for a long, long time. The people are just like family so we don’t want anything to happen to them.”

Gull Edmund Rd was robbed twice in 12 months. Photo / Andrew Warner

Police confirmed there had been two robberies at the location in the past 12 months and several arrests had been made, mostly of youths.

A loyal customer of more than 30 years, who did not want to be named, said she was “gutted” when she found out the petrol station would be unmanned.

This was not because it was in a “convenient” location but because she had been going there for 35 years and enjoyed the conversations she had with Davies.

“He greets you by name ... and when he talks to me, he talks to me about my family, he genuinely takes an interest in me as a human being. You can go and get petrol anywhere but you can’t go anywhere and get the friendliness and the care and the consideration that you get at that place.”

The customer said she would no longer get her petrol at the site because she did not like using self-service petrol stations. “In a society where everything is becoming automated, this is one place where there was real human contact at its best.”

Gull New Zealand retail business manager Mike Williamson said Gull was not involved in the decision in the site becoming unmanned. He said it was “not going unmanned due to crime, and is actually not Gull’s decision to make”.

He said all stores at its sites were operated by third parties. “They have our full support in determining their own comfort levels in this regard.”

Williamson said in a number of cases, even if the forecourt was unmanned, the shop continued to operate independently, such as at Gull on Lake Rd in Koutu.

“At Gull Edmund Rd, the whole site has been owner-operated for as long as it has been a Gull, and even longer prior to that.

“The current owner is looking forward to taking life a little easier and offered [the] operation of the forecourt to Gull.

“We’re hoping our fast and convenient unmanned offering will be well-received by customers in the western suburbs of Rotorua.”

The adjoining workshop would still be there and offering LPG fills for its customers.

Springfield Superette owner Raj Kumar said it was “really sad” the petrol station was going unmanned because it employed local people.

In his view: “If this becomes successful, then other outlets will start doing the same thing as well.”

Kumar spoke to the Rotorua Daily Post this month about shoplifters stealing items from stores on a daily basis as figures showed retail crime doubled in the Bay of Plenty over five years.

“This [Gull change] is just the first sign of business owners saying they have had a “guts full” of issues, including break-ins and the challenge of finding staff.

Asked about the Gull Edmund Rd robberies and what police were doing to address this type of crime, a police spokeswoman said Rotorua police maintained a visible presence in the community. “We work hard to investigate crimes and hold offenders to account.”

Police urged the community to continue reporting criminal activity.