On The Run expanding in VIC and into NSW

On the Run (OTR), part of the Peregrine Corporation, is scaling up in its home state of South Australia and extending its footprint into two more eastern states.

The family-owned business is South Australia’s leading retail convenience chain with 148 sites spanning both metropolitan and regional locations.

It already has two stores in the Victorian towns of Portland and Irymple with four more planned to open in 2020 in Horsham, Stawell and Mildura.

OTR CEO Warren Wilmot told C&I that expansion into New South Wales is also on the cards, with up to six stores likely in 2020. 

OTR received an honourable mention in the 2018 NACS International Convenience Retailer of the Year Awards. The recognition was for the latest OTR format store, located in Fullarton, an Eastern suburb of Adelaide. The new concept store reframed the atmosphere of the OTR brand as warm and inviting, encouraging the customer to engage with the store in a more leisurely, trusting way.

“The store has a wide variety of products and services including 40 shopping bays, locally-roasted barista coffee, freshly squeezed orange juice, flowers, bakery, custom hot dogs, a car wash and even a dog wash,” said Wilmot.

There is a priority focus on freshness and local produce for OTR. Orange juice is squeezed in store, bottle by bottle and sold only on the same day.

The OTR Fullarton store features local South Australian produce from trusted small suppliers, as well as private labels.

“The concept is now being rolled out across the OTR chain with 120 stores targeted and 105 upgrades already scheduled in the next few years,” said Wilmot.

“Conversions include both knock down and rebuilds to the new format plus retro fits.”

“We find that customers have embraced OTR because our stores offer the ultimate convenience with 24/7 trading hours, a carefully curated range of supermarket items, barista coffee and many also have a drive through for both coffee and fresh food, which is a key differentiator in the Australian market,” said Wilmot.

Drive through lanes at some stores will also be part of the mix and a further 10-12 new greenfield stores are either under construction or in the pipeline.