In 1932, Maurice Gabriëls started a retail business in oils and fats, assisted by his wife who took care of the administrative part. At that time, the main customers were farmers and artisans of the region. The products were transported by van from Antwerp to Mere, from where they were further distributed, mainly in the regions of Aalst and Oudenaarde. The product range was then expanded to include petrol and diesel.
From 1950, heating oil was also used for heating purposes. This led to a rapid increase in customers. At that time, the company changed from retail to wholesale. A warehouse was built in Mere with a capacity of 2.500.000 litres.
In 1970, the one-man business of Maurice Gabriëls was transformed into a Limited Company. In 1972, a new warehouse was brought into use on the industrial estate of Hofstade - Aalst, along the Dender. This made deliveries by ship possible.
Because the offices in Mere had become too small and in order to unite the depot and offices, the company moved to Hofstade in 1981. In Mere, only a successful filling station remained. At that time, the company already had 8 tankers and 13 employees. In 1990, a garage for the trucks was added .
During the nineties, NV Gabriëls & C° continued to focus on the market of service stations whereby its own fuel card - introduced in 1992 - began to play an important role.
In 2020, Gabriëls acquired Power-Oil group, originated in Wevelgem. From now on the company has 2 branches, one in Hofstade and one in Wevelgem.
In 2023, the Gabriëls-Power Group will mainly be operating its own network of more than 180 filling stations, some of which are equipped with a self-service car wash.
In addition, the distribution of petrol, diesel, oils and fats remains an important part of the daily activities. To realise this, a fleet of 15 tankers, 1 oil truck, an AdBLue truck and a team of 45 employees.
Finally, a cooperation agreement exists between NV Gabriels & C° and approximately 30 filling stations, whereby Gabriels ensures the supply to these filling stations. NV Gabriels & C° also supplies fuels to fellow fuel traders who do not have their own storage facilities.
