Not many service stations make it to 100, but Cannock truck stop The Hollies, has just marked that anniversary.
The facility on the A5, which claims to be Britain’s oldest dedicated site for lorry drivers, has undergone a major upgrade by owner Certas Energy, with the fuel company saying that the refurbished site will be the template for a planned nationwide network.
As Forecourt Trader has already reported, Certas is keen to acquire existing truck stops to establish a chain of at least 10 sites by the end of next year.
On June 26, Certas held a “Hollies Heritage Day” at Cannock – which operated as a tearoom before changing its focus to the road haulage sector in the 1930s, and then going on to be known as Greasy Lil’s Transport Café in the 1960s.
Unveiling a set of timeline murals depicting notable developments in its history, Certas Energy head of estate development Mike Heaton said the company wanted to “promote the past, the present, and the future when we hope to become the biggest and hopefully the best truck stop brand in the UK”.
This ambition will see the fuel supplier take its network of transport driver facilities into double figures by the end of next year through a combination of buying and leasing existing truck stops.
Since acquiring Hollies five years ago Certas Energy says the site has benefitted from £1.5 million of investment that has paid for solar panels, re-concreted parking bays, and improved security with new fencing, LED floodlights and an upgraded security barrier.
The spend, which includes £500,000 from government grants designed to improve truck stop facilities throughout England, has also targeted the kitchen.
Certas also plans to spend £50,000 refreshing Cannock’s seven showers and its other two operations near St Albans and Lockerbie, which it acquired earlier this year.
The company has already given its Watling Street site – between St Albans and Watford – a new kitchen, which provides hot food previously only available from a Rollover cabinet. There is a new café area too.
And on the forecourt, an old tank has been converted to provide HVO on pump. The canopy is to be branded Certas Energy, and other facilities will take The Stop colours: a brand the company has developed for its truck stops.
At the Ecclefechan truck stop near to Lockerbie, there will be new security fencing which began to be installed last week, the kitchen is to be upgraded, and in two weeks work will begin on refurbing the fuel bunkering, pumps and card readers, with a total £400,000 investment put aside for the site.
The plan is that both these sites, which are equipped with wind turbines, will have charging installed for electric trucks. This is not possible at The Hollies, says Heaton, because it would cost £2 million to get grid capacity.
He is investigating remote charging options, including a Fleetbooster mobile battery storage system which continuously charges itself via the existing grid connection and stores the energy. The technology from Germany was showcased at The Hollies centenary celebration. “We will look at a revenue share deal,” says Heaton.
Meanwhile, Heaton says that he is now working on a fourth site, in the south of England, which is “just going through legals and planning permission” and Certas is hoping to obtain on a long-term lease.
“We will definitely have another one before the end of the year, and possibly five by April next year,” he adds.
