Sansar and Veena Sharma, franchisees of the NightOwl Taringa convenience store, are the longest serving franchisees in NightOwl’s history, celebrating their 20th anniversary.

NightOwl CEO, Andrew Morgan has formally recognised the husband and wife team at the recent NightOwl Awards for Excellence on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland.

Remembering the days of the store’s early beginnings, Sansar said developing rapport with customers was vital to developing the store’s presence in what was, at the time, a sleepy suburb.

“At the outset we started out with a small number of customers. So we began with the basics. We asked every customer what products they wanted to see in the store and how we could help,” he said.

“By tapping into what our local market wanted and needed, we started to get the key ingredients for growing our business. We also thought about where we could form new relationships with the community.”

The Taringa franchisees have now formed ties with local charities, bowls clubs, hotels, motels and schools.

According to Sansar, the transformation of BrisbaneÕs inner suburbs from tranquil neighbourhoods to thriving inner city hubs “brought its rewards and also its big challenges.”

“It’s been great to see Brisbane suburbs close to the CBD become community hubs however more local petrol stations and the expansion of nearby shopping centres has created strong competition for us. It’s put us to the test at times but we survived and are here to stay,” said Sansar.

Every second or third year, Sansar and Veena conduct refurbishments to maintain the store. Their recent investment of approximately $70 000 in major internal works to the Taringa store included a new counter, shelving, paintwork, signage and floor restoration which, according to Sansar, has given the store “a new lease of life and helps keep customers happy.”

Happy staff has also been of paramount importance. Sansar and his wife treat their team of seven “like family.”

“I’m a believer in honesty and treating other people how you would like to be treated,” he said.

When asked to reveal the secrets of their success Sansar replies, “There’s no real secret. It’s mainly about great customer service and common sense.”