Knock-down-rebuilds continue to keep the sector on top in terms of aesthetics and services
They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder and in areas like design that is definitely true. Up and down the country forecourt owners apply for planning to extend or even knock down and rebuild their businesses.
Noise pollution and light pollution are often cited as reasons why plans should not go ahead, but in Morpeth, Euro Garages and Persimmon Homes’ plans for a new service station, hotel, offices and 150 homes were rejected by the council for different reasons. According to the Northumberland Gazette, one councillor described the plans as ‘hideous’ while another said his granddaughter could have done a better job.
However, the winner of the Best Design and Development category at this year’s Forecourt Trader of the Year Awards – Eurospar Kircubbin in Newtownards – could never be described as hideous.
The award-winning site was the product of a complete KDRB because previously it had been home to a dated filling station that was no longer fit for purpose.
From the front, the shop looks like many other Eurospars. The key design feature is the long façade with expansive glazing providing lots of natural light. Above this is an eye-catching, massive Eurospar red and green fascia. However, one of the site’s big advantages is its position – right next to Strangford Lough and with views over the Mourne Mountains.
Magnet for cyclists
Strangford is the largest sea lough in the British Isles, covering an area of 150 sq km. As such it is a magnet for those wanting to do outdoor activities such as canoeing and cycling. Eurospar Kircubbin has made the most of this by installing an outdoor seating area out the back that overlooks the lough. Cyclists can wheel their bikes down the side of the building, park them then go into the shop through the rear doors. These take them directly into the impressive Barista Bar, where there is more seating should it be raining.
The Barista Bar is just part of a very impressive store which was made bigger than the original shop and designed to give the local community access to a local supermarket with a modern, bright look and no columns, so there is uninterrupted internal space.
While the old shop comprised 2,400sq ft, the new one is 4,400sq ft with an additional 670sq ft offering hot food. Eurospar Kircubbin opened as Hendersons’ 101st store and followed the company’s strategy of building stores informed by local data to directly meet the needs of the local shoppers’ missions. For example, there is a fantastic range of fresh meat from J Wright & Son, loads of fresh produce as well as a good selection of ready meals.
The grocery and non-food aisles are full of ‘Super Deals’ or items that are price-matched to Tesco. There is also a Post Office and a customer toilet.
The main entrance has a community screen showing customers how the store is supporting its neighbours and customers in local community projects. Wide aisles, the wood-effect flooring and the open structure ceiling as well as those massive windows to the front, mean the store is light and bright.
New technology in the store includes self-checkouts and high-speed wifi, while sustainable elements in the design include high- performance insulation, energy-efficient glazing, heating and cooling, PIR sensors and LED lights.
Outside there is Circle K- branded fuel, 30 car parking spaces, including a parent and toddler and a disabled parking space, air-water-vacuum services, bulk fuel/emergency fuels, gas cylinders and a 24-hour ATM. There are trolley parks inside and out along with kids mini carts so they can do shopping alongside their parents. A carry-to-car service is available.
Community boost
With all of this it is no surprise to hear that the store is trading above expectations and has been a real boost for the community.
Northern Ireland is home to some amazing forecourt sites so again it should come as no great surprise that the other two finalists in Forecourt Trader of the Year’s Best Design and Development category were both in the province.
One of the runners up was Portglenone Centra, which is one of Musgrave’s best stores operationally, and which won its Company-Owned Store of the Year title for 2022.
As one of Musgrave’s flagship stores, the company recently invested hundreds of thousands of pounds in the site to showcase the best that the Centra brand can be and give customers a modern shopping environment and experience. The money was spent across the forecourt, the shop and the car park (which was resurfaced.)
The store itself is a smart building with imagery that showcases what shoppers will find inside.
The store was the first in Northern Ireland to get the latest 2.0 Frank and Honest hot drinks unit.
There was significant investment in the off licence section to ensure it had the very best specification so it became a destination and was the best ‘locally and beyond’.
There was also a lot of investment in new sustainable technology. As well as contributing to energy savings, the use of a CO2 refrigerant system for the chillers and freezers reduced the store’s annual carbon output. Musgrave says it is one of the first c-stores to use such technology as this is usually only used by supermarkets – it was done in partnership with local firm Portglenone Refrigeration Services. Also introduced were electronic shelf edge labels.
New layout
The whole layout of the store was changed. For example, the tills are now against the front window and ‘last in flow’ and the number of grocery bays was reduced to give the store space and make navigation for the customer easier. The feedback from customers was immediate and positive – many were convinced that Musgrave had made the store larger.
Outside, the forecourt has been resurfaced and relined to make traffic flow safer and better, particularly for parking larger vans and tractors. There are new pumps and an upgraded car wash.
The other runner up in the Awards was another Eurospar, this time Rossdowney on the outskirts of Londonderry. This was another complete knockdown-rebuild. The shop went from 5,300sq ft to 6,600sq ft. The key design features are the tall façade with expansive glazing providing lots of natural light and views into the shop as well as additional height internally. External materials used include natural stone, wood-effect cladding and light render for a modern and fresh look. The store incorporates a key design feature that is embedded into all new Henderson Retail designs and frames the main shopfront. This light grey ‘arch’ provides a clean, crisp backdrop to the Eurospar brand with all other brands displayed on wood-effect cladding.
FAST FACT: £1.5m The cost of AY&Y Patel’s redevelopment of its Leeds Road site in Bradford
AY&Y Patel’s partnership with James Hall prospers
Top 50 Indie AY & Y Patel has opened two new Spar stores and forecourts in West Yorkshire, in association with wholesaler James Hall. A £1.5m complete redevelopment of the company’s Leeds Road site in Bradford has seen the forecourt transformed into a bright and inviting Shell service station after seven months of work.
The state-of-the-art forecourt has new HGV facilities, while in store, new features include a F’wip gelateria and a Frozen Fanta machine.
There is also a greater range of Spar-branded products within the store, as well as Clayton Park Bakery and Fazila Food lines, and the introduction of Dot’s Donuts.
There is also more to come, with a Bombay Bites concept opening soon in a separate building on the same site.
A second service station at Roseville Road in Leeds has also relaunched following a £500,000 investment. The forecourt now offers Shell fuel and the store, which has undergone a significant expansion, is now under the Spar brand.
Roseville Road is the fourth forecourt AY & Y Patel have with James Hall.
Shaheena Patel, head of operations at AY & Y Patel, says: “The development of the sites has been a lot of hard work, but they have been worth it, and we are very impressed with the finished look and feel.
“Both service stations will prove excellent options for customers in Bradford and Leeds, and already we are seeing some strong sales results and we have had brilliant feedback from customers.
“Our association with James Hall & Co. Ltd is fantastic. We have a hand-in-hand relationship, and we really feel like we are valued by the team there who work together with us to support our business ambitions.
“After the success of our reopened site in Mirfield three years ago, we’re confident that similar results will be achieved in Bradford and Leeds, and we have exciting plans in place for two further sites with James Hall in due course.”
Peter Dodding, sales director at James Hall, says: “We take great pleasure from supporting ambitious family businesses like AY & Y Patel Dewsbury Ltd, and seeing the realisation of that support with two outstanding new service stations is terrific.
“We share a strong relationship with the Patel family and we look forward to helping them to grow their business with further forecourts in the near future.”
No comments yet