On The Run petrol stations and convenience stores have been sold to Viva Energy for $1.15 billion.
The late Fred Shahin had been an auditor and logistics manager for the United Nations in Lebanon helping Palestinian refugees. But he finally tired of the war-torn strife, and four decades ago fled to Australia with his wife, Salma. One of his sons, Yasser Shahin, who later founded the On The Run brand in 1999 after becoming frustrated at the slender margins in petrol retailing and deciding that the family needed to branch out into selling more convenience goods, said on Wednesday that Fred had been an inspiration and a meticulous book-keeper and strategist.the original advertisement was framed and hung on the wall in his office in Adelaide.
Fred Shahin arrived in Lebanon in 1948 with his family during the Arab-Israel war. He later put himself through night school and qualified as an accountant. He worked for the UN for 27 years. Yasser Shahin said on Wednesday it was an inspiring journey made by the family patriarch which the family drew strength from each day.
Yasser Shahin said it was a significant day also because the OTR brand would be expanded nationwide from its South Australian roots. This was a reversal of the usual theme in the corporate world where national brands are often imposed on South Australia businesses. “The deal wouldn’t have happened if it was the other way round,” he said.