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The design goal was to
"deliver unexpected luxury in a convenience store"

Best Interior: Bolla Market

The design goal for this year's Best Interior Design winner, Bolla Market, was to "deliver unexpected luxury in a convenience store," according to its company president and CEO, Harry Singh.

This luxurious feel was achieved through a spacious floor plan decorated with mahogany and cherry wood accents, a dark granite floor, granite counter tops and full granite bathrooms. Offsetting the dark hues is forest green signage with gold leaf text for in-store sections, which stand out against the cream walls.

Another objective of the Bolla Market store design was to change consumer perceptions of convenience stores by providing customers an unexpected food offering...   Read more...

Click to read about Harry's
challenges in setting up
the Bolla Company

Living The Dream

"I didn't have any set goals when I originally started," Singh says.  "I was 26 years old and I took challenges and risks.  I just knew that I wanted to work hard, be successful and continue to grow my number of stores as long as I could handle it.  Is it the right option?  If your financially sound and you don't have to borrow, it's the right option in my opinion.  I will continue to grow."

Singh has grown quickly, but he's had his share of moments that have given him pause.

"In 1994 I had about seven stations and we didn't have the infrastructure to run a multiunit operation," he says.  "We were struggling to make money and I considered selling everything except two stations.  That was the time I could have gone either way."    Read more...

"The successful promotion of any event requires concentration, an action plan and coordination." says Harry Singh

PLCC campaign winner shares strategy

Among the thousands of retailers who contributed to the enrollment of nearly 51,000 new Private Label Credit Card accounts during last summer's national promotion, a familiar name stood at the top of the list when the final numbers were added up - Harry Singh and his team at Bolla Management Corp.

With multiple stores in the top 10 of final dealer rankings in the PLCC campaign, it was his Garden City Super Pumper location in East Meadow, NY, which was the standout performer.  In fact, the store's 330 new PLCC accounts was more than 100 accounts ahead of the second place finisher, a distributor location in New Mexico.

Harry says planning and training are the main reasons...  Read more...

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"It brings value to the neighborhood. We have creative landscaping, a signature image and a safe and clean environment for our customers." Singh said.

One Entrepreneur believes in the future

But the jewel in Singh's crown is his newly remodeled property in Brooklyn's Gerritsen Beach neighborhood, which has five profit centers: an On the Run c-store, a Mobil gas station with four pumps and eight fueling points, a six-bay repair shop and quick-lube center, a car wash and a residential building with nine luxury apartments.

Does that last one seem a little out of place? "This is what it's going to take to survive in the 21st century — creative profit centers," said Singh.

When he purchased the three lots totaling 55,000 square feet that make up the property, one 9,000-square-foot lot had residential zoning. Rather than fight for a commercial permit, Singh built apartments...   Read more...

"I always knew that the customer and the community were the most important factors in creating a successful business..."

Harry Singh Earns Top Franchisee Honor

New York dealer Harry Singh was recognized as a National Franchisee of the Year by the International Franchise Association (IFA).

Harry, who operates five On the Run® convenience stores and 13 Mobil-branded service stations in the New York City area, was nominated for the award by ExxonMobil.  In making the nomination ExxonMobil cited his outstanding performance in all aspects of the convenience store and fuels business, his leadership roles on national advisory boards, his active role in promoting the On the Run® brand, and support for community activities.

Gina Malandra says Harry's enthusiasm for the business and his customers spills over to his employees.  Read more...