Top 50 Indie Symonds Forecourts has introduced a forecourt attendant at its site in Wells, Somerset, to improve its service to motorists.

Between 10am and 4pm Monday to Friday the attendant fills cars with fuel, checks tyre pressures and cleans windscreens while customers pay in-store.

The free service is being marketed with posters on the forecourt as well as a full-page advert in the local paper this week. Site manager Jason Tamplin said he is looking to expand the service with the attendant checking screen wash and oil levels, too.

“It is still very new but we think this initiative will be huge,” said Jason. “The response from customers has been excellent – people are saying that it’s a fantastic service and something they weren’t expecting. We’ve got a lot of elderly customers who often ask for help so it makes sense to have someone out on the forecourt.

“We want to build the attendant’s role so that he is selling products like oil and screen wash, and offering special deals on the car wash to help generate sales, which will justify our investment,” adds Jason. “We could also introduce a second attendant who would offer a valet service using our jet wash and vacuum – our attendant has already done that for a couple of elderly customers. Going forward we would need to look at charging a fee for valet services but the main service will always be free.”