Ampol Pheasants Nest, NSW, Australia

Entry profile | Roadside Convenience | ‘The Best Foodvenience Store in the World’ 2024

Ampol Pheasants Nest, located on the Hume Highway, one of Australia’s major inter-city national highways, running for 840 kilometres (520 miles) between Melbourne in the southwest and Sydney in the northeast.

Open 24 hours a day, every day of the year. The site features renovated dining rooms, outdoor spaces for relaxation, and a fresh convenience offer to meet the needs of commuters and local customers on both sides of the highway.

Company and Brand Overview

Ampol is an independent Australian company and the nation’s leading transport energy provider.

Ampol Limited (previously Caltex Australia Limited) returned to its iconic Australian name following shareholder approval on 14 May 2020 and our transition to the Ampol brand across our retail network is complete.

  • We supply the country’s largest branded petrol and convenience network, as well as refining, importing and marketing fuels and lubricants. Recently we launched our electric vehicle charging and home electricity solutions to ensure we deliver to our customers changing energy needs. We have a deep history spanning over 120 years, having grown to become the largest transport fuels company and we are also listed on the Australian Securities Exchange (ASX).

Ampol supplies fuel to approximately 80,000 customers in diverse markets across the Australian economy, including defence, mining, transport, marine, agriculture, aviation and other commercial sectors.

Across our retail network, we serve approximately three million customers every week with fuel and convenience products, as well as electric vehicle charging at selected locations.

Our ability to service our broad customer base is supported by our robust supply chain and strategic infrastructure positions across the country, which include 16 terminals, 6 major pipelines, 55 wet depots, over 1,800 branded sites (including approximately 690 company operated retail sites) and one refinery located in Lytton, Queensland. This network is supported by over 8,300 people across Australia and overseas.

Store and Offer Overview

About Pheasants Nest

Our new Pheasants Nest site is open 24 hours a day, everyday of the year and includes renovated dining rooms, toilet and long-haul driver amenities, new fuel and diesel canopies, outdoor spaces to refresh, dedicated caravan and coach parking spaces and a fresh convenience offer to help meet the needs of commuters and local customers on both sides of the highway. There is also an enclosed off leash dog park.

In addition to Ampol Foodary, Hungry Jack’s, Oporto, Oliver’s, Krispy Kreme, Boost Juice, and Durk’s Café is now available at Pheasants Nest.

Main Offers trade 24 hours a day:

  • Beverages – Cold & Hot – Push Button Hot Coffee is the No1 seller, Water & Energy Drinks
  • Bakery Pies, Sausage Rolls, Sandwiches,
  • Confectionery & Snacks

Pheasants Nest is also the first-of-its-kind AmpCharge electric vehicle charging hub, with 6 charging bays providing up to 300kW of power to serve EV drivers, as part of Ampol’s national commitment to install over 300 charging bays by the end of 2024.

Our highway redevelopment strategy

Our highway redevelopment strategy is part of the next chapter of Ampol’s Retail Australia strategy, where we plan to invest in our world class highway service centres along key commuter routes across Australia.

This strategy is part of our mission to power better journeys. We are passionate about keeping Australian motorists and the road transport industry moving which is a key reason why we continue to invest in these key sites.

Our planned redeveloped highway sites are strategically located for commuter and long-distance traffic on Australia’s important national routes and will set a new standard for long-haul drivers and passengers alike, where they can refuel and reenergise in the comfort of our modernised facilities.

We continue to make decisions with sustainability in mind.  Our low carbon design and construction of our Pheasants Nest sites include the installation of renewable solar energy generation and storage, water sensitive urban design with the use of native planting and grey water reuse.

Pheasants Nest is part of our new Highway Site Strategy providing a new Convenience store layout ​that:

  • Offers a spacious walk through & around experience for the customer with a Food to Go zone to the left of the entrance.
  • Direct path for customers to pay at counter or at 2 x SCO’s (Self Check Outs).
  • Boost counter part of Foodary and run by Ampol.
  • Customer can easily see the extended QSR offering when entering to their right.

Layout and Retail Environment

The site offers our Premium Highway Foodary Convenience Store range, along with our Ampol run franchise with a Boost counter.

All these aspects support the customer for various customer missions with easy pay options on the app, at bowser, pay in store with a direct to counter walkway for someone in a hurry or for those looking for a break there is our Foodary store full of fresh and heated food, coffee, snacks, treats and essentials.

Also under the same roof are various QSR offerings from Hungry Jacks, Oporto, Olivers, Krispy Kreme & Durk’s.

The design of Pheasants Nest was to bring together all the services for a customer travelling under one roof by providing a variety of options they need for a quick or extended break on their journey.

The ceiling is high creating a spacious, light and airy environment that is easy to navigate with clear signage for shop navigation for Coffee, Drinks, Food to Go, Counter for payment, Bathrooms, seating with tables and alternate food offerings.

The Foodary Convenience store has destination Food to Go in SKOPE’s to the left of the customer entrance, leading into Heated & Ambient Bakery and 3 push button coffee machines. Beverages, Milk, Snacks and Confectionery border the food to go for an easy, few steps shopping experience for customer.

In addition, we have a dedicated Truckers Lounge as this site is an important part of the National Highway Network. The space provides a separate entrance for truck drivers with a relaxing lounge & TV area, tables and chairs for meals, showers and a laundry with washing machine and dryer to keep our truck drivers going. They have internal access to the Foodary shop and food court, and this is available 24 hours a day.

  • Seating – Indoors – 161 seats, Terrace – 48 seats, Outdoor rest area – 44 seats

Customer Experience

Customers continue to provide very positive feedback on their experience, range and services offered at the Pheasants Nest Northbound Site.

Here are direct quotes from our customers feedback:

“One of the best freeway service stations I’ve ever been to. Clean, modern, boujee and kind of feels like an airport. The toilets were very clean and well maintained. The self service checkouts were a pleasant surprise too. Overall, a fantastic place to stop, refuel, and use the toilet. Ampol should b proud of themselves.” Daniel Nicolo

“Had not stopped here since the renovations started. I was impressed this is a well layed out service Centre. We put the car on supercharge while having a toilet break and buying drinks. Plenty of standard parking is also available. The Ampol Charge app was easy to install and use. The Ampol Foodary has the standard range of drinks and is well stocked. Bathrooms were easy to locate inside the centre and clean. This will be mt standard stop when heading to Sydney.” Megan Barrett

Now that they’ve finished all the rebuilding, It’s a very busy place day and night. There’s a wide variety of food places inside – Foodary, Boost, Krispy Kreme, Dunks Café, Hungry Jacks, Oporto, Olivers. Plenty of seating, kids play area, trickers lounge, lots more fuel pumps and EV charging stations.” Alison McWhirter

“What an improvement – so much on offer now with all the renovations and new facilities. Clean bathrooms and array of eateries.” Kellie Wilson

“The fanciest bathroom I have been to on a freeway” Monique Zhang

If you are travelling with your dogs this service centre is a must. It has been completely redone, with clean facilities and an improved range of food outlets. Most importantly, it has a fully fenced off leash area for your pups which was an amazing surprise. I would highly recommend taking this turnoff on your way from Melbourne /Canberra to Sydney” Angela McCrea

“Revamped pitt stop. Excellent services. Stop here before any other highway options” Douglas Brazil

This is the best gas station we have ever stopped at. We slept here overnight just to shut our eyes as we were on the road up to Sydney from Melbourne. Showers and toilets were clean. There was a truckies lounge with their own shoers and toilets and then public toilets and 1 shower. It was good to know I could have a quick morning shower.” PG Vanu

Decent petrol prices, lots of options for food and drinks. Best ham and cheese croissant I have had in a long time. The toilets were clean. It’s a good place to stop and have a break from driving. There’s even a small play area for kids.” Bec Scott

Operational Excellence

All our current team members were very excited to move into the new site, along with 20+ additional team members employed and trained to work in the Foodary and additional team members employed and trained to run the Boost counter.

  • We ran induction for the site over 2 sessions training all team members on the Ampol Way and all taking the Ampol Pledge, coming together to create team artworks of paintings with their hands.
  • The Boost is managed by a promoted team member to Assistant Store Manager.
  • All employees at Ampol are supported with an EAP service and a dedicated Health & Wellbeing site for programs to support mental and physical health.

Ampol also encourages our employees to nominate team members to recognise and celebrate the outstanding achievements of our people. The store has already had 15 team members recognised for Spot Awards since opening!

Customer service is what Ampol is all about!

Our team members are trained on the Ampol Way to deliver a safe, fast and enjoyable experience for our team and customers by:

  • Greeting the customer
  • Asking if they have any fuel today
  • Offering them our monthly special with any shop or fuel purchase
  • Asking for their everyday rewards card to collect points
  • Farewelling them on their journey

The Ampol Way: Drive time – priority focus on customer service when the forecourt and shop are at their busiest. Customers can choose how they interact, shop and pay with us:

  • Counter Service – with 2 team members always on to serve fast for fuel & shop purchases
  • 2 x Self Checkouts between the entrance & counter for fuel and shop purchases
  • AmpolCard for fuel and shop is used for business & personal customers
  • Pay with Fuel Pay on the Ampol App on your mobile phone
  • AmpolCash cards is accepted for fuel & shop purchases
  • If charging your EV, then pay on the AmpCharge app at point of charging

The whole centre has an external cleaning company staffed from 6am to midnight every day to maintain the cleanliness of the shop, amenities, truckers lounge, food court, bins and outside facilities continuously.

Overall Performance

Shop sales +18% on LY (incl Tobacco) – (excluding the 5 food offers in the foodcourt!)

  • 8,700+ Beverages per week

  • 3,000+ “Food to go” items per week

  • 4,000+ snacks & confectionery items per week

  • ~15% of customers transacting on Self Check Outs

Fuel volume +81% on LY

Key Categories:

  • Ice +164% on LY
  • Communications & Gift Cards +50% on LY
  • Health & Beauty +58% on LY
  • Beverages +18% of LY
  • Confectionery +13% on LY
  • Chilled Perishables +12% on LY

‘The Best Foodvenience Store in the World’ 2024