The decision by an independent petrol retail group to buy Westacre Services in Salisbury was vindicated when the site won a prestigious award sponsored by leading trade magazine Forecourt Trader.
An eye for an opportunity
Gardner Garages, one of the largest independent petrol retailers in the South West, with sites in Gloucester, Cheltenham and Worcester, bought the Westacre Services site last year. The BP site had been rebuilt in 2004 with new tanks, pumps and a 220sq.m SPAR forecourt store. Chairman Clive Gardner said: “With more than 36 years' experience in petrol retailing, I knew Westacre would be a great location to add to our portfolio, but there was a lot of competition for the site so we had to move fast.
“Retail is all about detail. The shop was under-performing due to lack of product, staff motivation and in-store investment, and basic merchandising techniques were not being done. What is more, it lacked consumer offers and the opening hours were not convenient – it was in a residential location yet closed at 10pm. The whole site lacked attention. There was no music in-store, the atmosphere was very quiet and the staff were quiet. “We now open 24 hours and ensure the customers can see we are serious about our business and offering, giving them confidence in us as their local store or destination point.”
Food to go, off licence and snacks are the big drivers for the store and the areas the business will focus on for future development. “It wasn’t rocket science to work out what Westacre required to make it successful,” said Clive. “Our attraction to the site was that it was performing badly in a shop that had recently been refurbished. “On the forecourt, all the tanks, pumps and other equipment were new, so to operate the site was simple and the missing ingredients to creating a successful retail offering were easy to identify. And in Cliff Lovell, our store manager, I have someone with the passion and experience that is in line with my way of thinking.
“I hope to be able to improve the food-to-go offering we have at Westacre and bring more in-store theatre to the site,” he said. “Food to go is a very big draw for people on the road, and we have good car parking around the forecourt. We also have a 24-hour alcohol licence and are consistently running offers across the drinks range, and the popularity of that is growing.”