Today’s forecourt retailers are spoilt for choice when it comes to franchise and fascia partners. Whatever you are looking for, be it a household name, best-in-class deals, a quality own-label or consistent and complete deliveries, you are bound to find it. We speak to retailers to see why they chose their particular trading partner.
Award-winning retailer David Charman, owner of Parkfoot Garage in West Malling, Kent, has been with Spar for more than 20 years.
He describes those years as an “amazing journey”. “I know that’s a cliche, but the fact is that they have allowed us to remain as independent as we want to be. We’ve been allowed to grow as a business, as well as grow with them. It’s been a fantastic marriage because they’ve been extremely loyal to me, and we’ve been extremely loyal to them.”
Charman says one of the biggest benefits of working together has been Spar’s ability to show him new concepts and ideas. “With our butchery, we wouldn’t have done that without them taking me over to Northern Ireland and showing me what other people had done in order to differentiate their business… and I’m incredibly grateful to them for that.”
During Parkfoot’s 20-plus years with Spar, the site has had two major refits and the symbol group helped with both.
The core range, the cigarettes, alcohol and grocery comes from Spar, but Charman has the Parkfoot own-label and also likes to stock local lines.
“We work very closely to ensure that we’re growing as a whole, and it’s right for them and right for us,” he explains.
For Charman, working with Spar is all about the relationship. “I need to trust who I’m doing business with, and I need to understand who I’m doing business with. My reasons for staying with Spar are a combination of lots of things.”
He points to Spar regional distribution centre Blakemore as being good to work with along with the fact that Spar is strong abroad and can pull ideas from other territories and reflect them back into the UK business.
Successful site
Charman says that his site was successful even before he joined Spar, with him winning the inaugural Forecourt Trader of the Year award back in 1996.
“We’ve always had a successful site,” he says, “But what we needed was to get ourselves a degree of credibility. Years ago, your shop image was tied to whichever oil company you got your fuel from, so you were a Shell shop or an Esso shop. Way back then, we listened a lot to our oil companies because they put a lot of money into shops.”
However, Charman was aware there were limitations to that way of trading as the oil companies wanted consistency and he wanted a level of ‘uniqueness’.
“We wanted to stand out from the crowd rather than blend in,” he says. “We wanted a symbol group that would give us credibility and Spar has always had that. Wherever you go in the world, if you see a Spar shop, you know it’s basically going to have what you’re looking for.”
Despite Charman trading in an affluent area in Kent, he says there is still a need for an own-label in his range.
“I think it’s important to have a broad offering. Yes, we do have a very premium offering but not everybody wants that, and that’s not really a demographic thing. For example, you don’t necessarily need to have a premium brand of something like salt or vinegar. Also having an own brand shows that we’re not just trying to maximise everything that we do. We are offering value for money, which we will always do. We want people to think, I’ve got something really nice there, but I’ve also got my staple items, and they were at a good, reasonable price that I would expect.”
But perhaps the biggest plus for Charman, working together with Spar, is that when you as a retailer have an idea, they will listen and act on it.
He says a good example of this was when he went to Spar around three years ago saying he wanted to switch things up in the shop.
“We went to them and said we wanted a bit of change, with more of a focus on our own brand as it’s going to be stronger and stronger for us as a business. Their team then went about and redesigned the store. We discussed it; we argued and disagreed and agreed with things over a period of about a year and a half before we came up with what we were happy to put the money into and they were happy to put their symbol brand to. And that’s the beauty of Spar where you can have that discussion. They have extremely professional people that are able to assist in delivering a store that is exactly what you want. And that’s the key to the whole thing. I’m delighted that we have continued to work with them, because I think we’ve got an exceptional site now that it is very different from others”
Awards success
Of course David Charman is not the only Spar retailer to have won a big award recently. Spar Malone Road in Co Antrim was recently crowned Convenience Retailer of the Year at The Convenience Awards.
Ian Taylor, Spar UK retail and brand development director, says: “Spar’s recent success at industry awards reflects the consistency and quality our retailers deliver day in, day out. Our forecourt sites stand out because they combine strong retail fundamentals with genuine local relevance – from market-leading fresh and food-to-go ranges to well-executed store standards and a clear understanding of their shoppers.
“What really resonates with both consumers and judges is the balance we strike between national brand strength and independent retailer flair. Spar stores aren’t one-size-fits-all – they are tailored to their communities, which drives loyalty and repeat visits.
“Our formula for forecourt success is simple but effective: a compelling fresh and convenience offer, strong promotional value, best-in-class store environments and ongoing support for retailers through insight, innovation and partnerships. When you bring all of that together in a forecourt setting – where speed, quality and reliability are key – you create a destination that shoppers trust and return to.”
Bargain Booze/Costcutter
Crawley Down Garage in Snow Hill, West Sussex has had Shell on its pole sign for more than 30 years and Costcutter on its shop fascia for more than 20 years.
Forecourt manager at the site, David Wyatt, describes himself as ‘quite loyal’ but with trading with Shell and Costcutter for so long, that’s rather an understatement.
“For years we traded under our own name,” he says. “When we decided to go with a fascia, I wanted one that was a recognised name and so we went with Costcutter and we’ve built a good relationship with them ever since.”
The shop had a refit approximately two-and-a-half years ago and Costcutter helped with that, with regards to ideas, plans and shopfitting. It was help that Wyatt says was superb.
The whole shop was re-laid out with more space for food to go (Stone Willy’s) and the off-licence section more than doubling in size. At that time the Bargain Booze branding was added to the fascia and to the off-licence.
“Bargain Booze are amazing,” says Wyatt. “Their range, their knowledge, their price points are all great. They looked at our range and added brands I had never heard of but they flew off the shelves. In addition, buying spirits can mean serious outlay but Bargain Booze allows us to buy single bottles so that really helps.”
What he likes most about his Costcutter/Bargain Booze tie-up is the flexibility to stock what he wants. “They give us guidance but we can take it or leave it; we have the freedom to choose. Some suppliers are quite controlling but not Costcutter.”
Another plus for Wyatt is the Co-op own-label of which he and his customers are big fans. Then there’s the 5am delivery slot he gets, which is ideal for his business.
“Business is all about the relationship. When I look at other symbol offers no-one matches Costcutter and Bargain Booze as a concept.”
Costcutter
Another very satisfied Costcutter customer is Phil Moutray from Moutray’s Costcutter in Lurgan Craigavon.
Moutray says: “My family has been trading with Costcutter for a very long time. I’m 34 and don’t remember our business as anything other than a Costcutter!”
He says one of the great benefits of trading with Costcutter is the relationship with a strong fascia but still being able to retain independence and control.
“I am particularly impressed with the work and support of local BDMs [business development managers], always ready to help in store and give quick responses when needed. For example, in 2024 we received great assistance from Costcutter when we underwent a complete refurb of our flagship store. Costcutter was with us in the early planning stages, through to packing shelves the night before the grand opening.
“Customers particularly love the Co-Op own range which Costcutter can supply and it does drive footfall for us,” he says.
Budgens/Londis
Top 50 Indie Krisco Services Group (KSG) has two of its stores with Budgens fascias and three with Londis. The company has been trading with Booker since 2012.
KSG director Luxman Selvarajah says: “Budgens works really well for us because it gives a more premium, neighbourhood store feel. It allows us to tailor the range to our local customers while still benefiting from a strong brand. The flexibility in ranging and the focus on fresh and quality products really helps us stand out.
“Londis, on the other hand, is a very strong, recognisable convenience brand with great promotional depth. It’s particularly effective for high footfall locations where value and familiarity drive customer decisions.
“Booker underpins both fascias brilliantly. Their distribution is reliable, pricing is competitive and the promotional programme is consistent. They also provide the operational backbone that allows us to run efficiently day to day.”
Selvarajah says Booker’s link with Tesco helps too: “It brings a level of credibility and trust to the offer, which customers recognise immediately. From an operational perspective, it strengthens own-label availability, pricing competitiveness and supply chain efficiency. It also helps ensure we stay aligned with wider retail trends, which is important in such a fast-moving sector.”
He adds that Booker has been very supportive in helping KSG grow its shop trade. “From range planning and category advice to store layout and merchandising guidance, they’ve provided practical, hands-on support. Their promotional cycles and seasonal planning have helped drive footfall, and their data insights allow us to make more informed decisions about what works in each location. The account management support has also been key in helping us adapt and improve over time.”
Recently, KSG’s Burbage site switched from Londis to Budgens. Selvarajah explains: “We switched our Burbage site to better match the demographic and shopping habits of the local area. There was a clear opportunity to move towards a more premium, fresh-led offer, which Budgens supports really well.
“Since the transition, we’ve seen a positive uplift in sales, particularly in fresh, chilled, and food-to-go categories. Basket spend has also improved, which reflects customers engaging more with the broader, higher-quality range. Our sales have gone up by £5,000 per week, since the changeover – from £40,000 to £45,000.”
Like most retailers, KSG has been approached by other symbol groups. “It’s always useful to understand what’s out there,” says Selvarajah, “but ultimately any decision comes down to what works best for our business and our customers.
“We’ve built a strong relationship with Booker, and the combination of Budgens and Londis gives us the flexibility to operate different store formats effectively. At this stage, that balance works well for us.”
Co-op Wholesale
Co-op Wholesale has enjoyed some big-name signings in recent months including several Top 50 Indies. Sewell on the go is one of those indies.
When asked how strong the Co-op branding is across his sites, managing director Patrick Sewell says: “We are currently adapting the use of Co-op brand on our sites. We actually didn’t want to go 100% to start with, as we also needed to evolve and develop the offer. We knew that would take time, both physically but also in the minds of our customers. I think it would be fair to say Co-op would also be appropriately protective of their brand and would want image and experience to be aligned.”
With the crossover of supermarket brands into independents now quite commonplace, Sewell says he doesn’t believe there’s been any confusion over his stores’ ownership. “It’s just a great partnership of a trusted local business supported by a trusted national brand.”
He continues: “The Co-op name and brand to me is all about ethics; longevity; sustainability; quality, doing the right thing and being recognised as a go-to food shop. I believe these qualities are viewed similarly by customers, albeit I know they do a lot more, that people don’t know about – they’ve a lot of positive messages to communicate.”
As for the best performing categories for him in the Co-op own-label range, he says it’s undoubtedly chilled. “It’s been a gamechanger. They’ve such a strong proposition, which gets great feedback from our staff and customers.”
Sewell says that being “relative newbies” to Co-op Wholesale (just about eight months and counting), they’ve got the fundamentals done and now are continually fine-tuning their ranges.
“We have regular account meetings to review performance and set goals. Furthermore, Co-op Wholesale has a great internal support network, from category planners, shop fit designers and brand team to their great community engagement team, MADL (making a difference locally).”
Parfetts
Muresh Seevaratnam from Top 50 Indie Deansbrook Garage Group, now operates six Parfetts-supplied stores, including five Shop & Go forecourts and a Go Local Extra in South Wales. He says the company’s new format was a natural fit for his busy forecourt locations.
“The Shop & Go format is ideal for a petrol filling station where customers want speed, choice and value. We have a wide variety of products on offer, and the response has been really encouraging. The food-to-go range has been particularly popular, along with complete meal solutions such as the Praveen Kumar Indian meals. Competitive fuel pricing is also helping to drive footfall into the store.
“Parfetts has a strong reputation for backing its retailers and treating each business individually, and I really value the freedom that provides me with, after 25 years in the retail sector. That support, combined with a busy promotional programme, gives me confidence as I continue to look for new sites.”
John O’Neill, retail operations controller, Parfetts, says: ““Forecourts are a clear focus for our latest fascia, Shop & Go, which has been developed specifically for transient locations and shoppers on the move. The format is already gaining traction, with 20 stores trading nationwide and more than 40 additional openings planned over the next 12 months. The business is actively targeting forecourt operators as part of its 2026 growth plans, recognising the opportunity to drive higher-margin categories such as food to go, alongside core impulse and distress purchases.”
He says forecourt retailers are typically drawn to Parfetts for a combination of commercial flexibility and operational support.
“Our approach allows retailers to retain independence while benefiting from structured promotions, strong pricing and a format tailored to location-specific demand.
“Shop & Go, in particular, is designed to maximise basket spend through a focused range spanning snacks, drinks, alcohol and food to go, helping operators increase margins. Retailers also point to Parfetts’ hands-on support and willingness to treat each store individually, alongside consistent availability and value, as key reasons for switching fascia.”
