EG On The Move is expanding its SpudBros Express concession to at least 30 more locations, with 15 to open this year. It follows a trial of the jacket potato format at the group’s Frontier Park, Blackburn and Snow Hill, Wakefield sites that began in December.
Zuber Issa’s EG On The Move is the first forecourt operator to partner with its fellow Lancastrian start-up, which traces its origins to a market cart in 1950s in Preston and has recently launched franchises in London, Liverpool, Sheffield, and Portsmouth. Brothers Jacob and Harley Nelson took over the business in 2020 with a strategy of nationwide expansion.
SpudBros Express, which is represented in the deal by Taster, a marketing and food-tech platform for “creator-led food brands”, claims to be one of the UK’s fastest-growing names in fast food with a strong social media presence.
Taster says EG On The Move’s “high-traffic destinations” and “compact kitchens” make the forecourt chain “ideal” for SpudBros Express’s foray into roadside, which will include the introduction of a breakfast menu “to maximise customer reach throughout the day”.
Bertrand Peyrat, the chief executive of Taster, says the results of the pilots in Blackburn and Wakefield “speak for themselves”, adding: “With EG On The Move, we have the right strategic foodservice partner to scale this experience across the UK”.
Issa says: “We are delighted to expand our partnership with Taster and bring SpudBros Express to more of our roadside locations. The concept brings something fresh and exciting to our forecourts, combining quality, speed and strong customer appeal. The results from Blackburn and Wakefield are encouraging and we look forward to making this offering available to customers across our wider network.”
SpudBros Express is one of more than 200 concessions across EG On The Move’s 160-strong estate. They include Starbucks, Subway, Greggs, Popeyes, Chaiiwala, Sbarro, Cake Box and Ambala Sweets.
Jacket potatoes as fast food was pioneered in the UK high street by SpudULike, which hit its zenith in the 1980s and 1990s before going out of fashion and finally shutting its doors in 2024 despite an attempt to revive the business by investors that included celebrity chef James Martin.
Thanks to skilful promotion on TikTok and other platforms, the Nelsons have built a viral following for their latest generation baked potatoes, which, like SpudULike’s, come with a choice of fillings. The EG On The Move venture will confirm whether the brand can now translate its appeal to the roadside market nationwide.
