Top 50 Indie Applegreen has added to its estate with the acquisition of Central Garage (Bos) Ltd in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset, for an undisclosed sum.

The sale was handled by specialist business property adviser, Christie & Co.

The forecourt is accompanied by a convenience store with a trading area of about 2,000sq ft supplied by Spar’s southern distributor, Appleby Westward, and there is a vehicle workshop located to the rear. Fuel will continue to be supplied by Valero under the Texaco brand.

The site is located towards the north of the town, close to Brean Sands. The area attracts many tourists due to its six-mile-long beaches and there are numerous caravan and other holiday parks close by, all providing footfall to the forecourt. This provides an uplift in trade from April through to September.

David Morris, business agent at Christie & Co’s Bristol office, handled the sale and commented: “The forecourt market remains buoyant with demand outstripping supply. This demand stretches from forecourts that require significant investment through to forecourts, like Central Garage, which have enjoyed continuous capital investment from the owner.”

Gordon Reasons owned and operated Central Garage for over 30 years and has now decided to retire. He commented: “Having worked incredibly hard to grow the business for over 30 years, I am now looking forward to my retirement. I would like to thank the staff for their support in helping me operate Central Garage and Christie & Co for handling the sale for me.”

Applegreen was ranked fifth in the most recent Forecourt Trader Top 50 Indies, with 66 UK sites, and has stated that it plans to expand its estate.