AULD’S COVE: Thirty-five years to the day that Irving Oil opened its first Big Stop, the Irving family, invited guests and residents celebrated an official re-opening.
On August 17, Irving Oil hosted a grand re-opening celebration at the Auld’s Cove Big Stop.
“Today is an exciting one as we celebrate the grand reopening of our very first Big Stop location at Auld’s Cove,” says Sarah Irving, executive vice-president and chief brand officer for Irving Oil. “We appreciate the loyalty of our customers over many years and are so proud to be here today to celebrate and have an opportunity to say thank you for the business.”
First opened on August 17, 1984, Auld’s Cove was the first ever Big Stop for Irving Oil.
“We’re looking forward to marking this milestone with the community in Auld’s Cove and celebrating the official reopening of one of our most historic sites,” says Darren Gillis, chief marketing officer for Irving Oil.
The project transformed the Big Stop to meet customer needs – including expanded fueling lanes and professional driver amenities, a dog park, and a larger restaurant including a full service menu offering long-time favourites such as fish and chips and chocolate cake with boiled icing. Among the amenities now offered to professional drivers is a driver’s lounge with comfortable furniture, WiFi, as well as hotel caliber showers and restrooms.
Construction on the new facility started last September and it also included expanding the restaurant, as well as the planned addition of a 3,800 square foot Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation outlet on site.
The former structure in Auld’s Cove was demolished to make room for the newer, bigger location but Irving promised minimal disruption for employees and customers. At the time, Irving Oil sent out an advisory notice to all of their customers advising them of other Irving locations where could meet their fueling needs during the construction process.
The restaurant, driver amenities, and the Irving 24 truck parking lanes were not available for the duration of the construction, and the diesel card lock re-opened last November. The convenience store re-opened in October after operating out of a temporary trailer on site.
