One of the oldest re-fuelling points in the city, the Safdarjung Service Station on Safdarjung Road, caters to a primarily corporate, government and diplomatic clientele. “Over 70 per cent of my sales come from the government as we are an authorised service station for Ambassadors,” says Sharad Mehra, managing partner of Safdarjung Service Station.
An MBA from IMT, Ghaziabad, Mehra is a third-generation entrepreneur. “Founded by my grandfather, the late H. C. Mehra in 1952, we have built a base of clients over the past five decades. My father V. K. Mehra, an engineer from Pilani, helped modernise the outlet and I’ve learnt a lot from him,” he adds.
According to Mehra the staff at Safdarjung Service Station emphasises on pure quality and correct quantity. “We conduct random fuel checks five times a day to get a feedback from our consumers. An easy measure of the quality of the fuel is the filter paper test where impure fuel leaves a mark on the paper. Also, to ensure that the attendant is not short-changing, the consumer can ask for the calibrated measure from the weights and measurements department and ensure that it is filled to the brim.”
To be a Club HP member the service station should meet certain requirements, says Mehra. “These include provision of puncture repair facilities, free air fill, a coin-operated telephone, free water, ensuring that clean toilets are accessible to consumers and provision of food and beverage items, besides newspapers and magazines. We meet all these requirements, besides, of course, an undertaking on quality and quantity.”
The hike in petrol prices by Rs 1.50 and diesel by Re 1 has an adverse impact on his business says Mehra. “The margins are absolute and not relative. Since government and corporate houses generally operate on credit, so my immediate operational costs go up,” he says.
