Family stunned by service station shut down

FIRST ON 7: A family is heartbroken at being forced to close its business in Adelaide’s western suburbs after almost three decades.

But the closure comes several weeks earlier than expected, catching the owners and customers by surprise.

Coz Franze said he started working at the Semaphore Rd service station at just 15 years of age.

“I was serving customers, I’d go out there and pump tires and put petrol in and run out in the rain,” he said.

He and his family bought the family petrol station and mechanics workshop 27 years ago, and has run it successfully ever since.

But a few weeks ago, he was sent a letter from the landlord telling him he would have to vacate by the end of the month.

Another shock came this morning after he held off on paying last month’s rent.

“Today we had two people come in and try to close us down,” he said.

“Locked up, not allowed to take anything off the premises.”

He said it was always his intention to pay the rent when he was finished.

Mr Franze said he will be open for the next few days to get rid of any fuel that is left, while his other stock will be given to businesses in the area.

It will be replaced by a Mogas service station.

Mr Franze is taking the workshop to another site nearby, but it still leaves three of his staff without jobs.

The law firm representing his landlord declined to comment.