The Co-op Service Center, which is the only car service center in Hanover and is one of three gas stations in town, will close in March 2012, according to a Monday announcement on the Co-op Food Stores website. Located across from the Hanover Co-op on Park Street, the service center will cease its car services by Jan. 13 and will stop selling gas by the last day of February, according to center supervisor Jeff Miller.
Industry changes within the service station business and low profit margins were the driving forces behind the closure, Hanover Co-op general manager Terry Appleby said in an online letter to Hanover Co-op staff, members and customers.
The soon-to-be vacated service center will be used to benefit "food store operations," according to the letter, which did not specify how the space would be used.
"I saw this coming for a while," Miller said in an interview with The Dartmouth. "Gas sales have been pretty good, but you don't make a lot on gas. It's a losing business and we don't have enough space in the store to boost profit through sales."
Miller, who worked for the service center for 10 years, was informed of the Co-op Food Stores Board of Directors' decision via a phone call last week during his vacation, he said.
"I'm not happy," Miller said. "I've loved working with the customers."
Local residents interviewed by The Dartmouth said they were disappointed and surprised to hear about the station's impending closure.
"I'm very sorry for this loss," Susan Apel, a resident of Lebanon, N.H., said. "I use this station frequently because it's so conveniently located and not in the middle of Main Street."
The only other gas stations in Hanover are the Irving Station adjacent to CVS and the Go-Go Mart located across from Jesse's Restaurant, according to Hanover Town Manager Julia Griffin. The Irving Station in downtown Hanover is on the corner of an especially busy intersection, and both remaining stations have significant waiting periods throughout the day for customers purchasing gasoline, according to Griffin.
"The big question is how are the remaining two stations going to physically accommodate the extra business," Griffin said.
Hanover may lose gas business to nearby towns due to the traffic surrounding the remaining two stations, according to residents interviewed by The Dartmouth.
"I probably will never go into downtown Hanover for gas," Apel said. "I'll go to the truck stop near Exit 18 or just somewhere in Lebanon."
Apel said she will miss the convenience of having her car serviced while grocery shopping. Siobhan McCloskey of Norwich, Vt., also recalled positive experiences with station's service.
"The employees are so nice and willing to help you," McCloskey said. "I remember when they helped me with my brakes and windshield wipers when I was running late."
McCloskey expressed concern for the station's employees, many of whom will be out of work once the service center permanently closes. Of the service center's 10 employees, only one is being relocated to the Co-op Food Store, according to Miller. Although all employees will receive severance pay, Miller said no employees will receive help relocating to work at the Co-op Food Stores.
"This is a bad time to lose their jobs," she said.
Miller said he is unsure of his future employment plans, as he is still trying to "take it all in."
"It's obvious the service center met significant need in the community," Griffin said. "I certainly understand the cost decision but we are sad to see the gas station and service center go."
Apel and McCloskey said they hope that the Board of Directors will reconsider its decision.
"We need an honest and nice place like this service station," McCloskey said.
Appleby did not respond to requests for comment by press time.
