Family forecourt operators the Frasers believe that they have created the optimum retailing model combining valeting, foodservice and convenience, but, significantly, not EV charging.
Cousins Nick and Jonathan Fraser are reaping the rewards of a £250,000 store revamp last autumn at their flagship Brize Norton petrol filling station in Oxfordshire. The now 2,800sq ft Fraser’s Budgens outlet was refitted to include seating in its relocated Subway, and a 43sq ft beer cave.
Other changes at the 24-hour site included more refrigeration and an improved staffroom, as the family business strives to be thought of as a convenience store with pumps, rather than a traditional forecourt.
The directors of the five-strong Budgens/BP forecourt business, spanning Berkshire, Oxfordshire and Wiltshire, are on the market for similar sized one-acre plots to replicate what they describe as their compelling combination of valeting hubs, with a grocery shop with foodservice, and fuel.
They are also developing a valeting hub at Yarnton in Oxfordshire, by acquiring two neighbouring houses and a small piece of land. The forecourt has two jet washes and a car wash, but director Nick Fraser says that he would expect to double returns by replacing this with five jet washes and no rollover.
This will mean that four of the family’s sites will have jet wash centres under canopy – an investment far more lucrative, says Fraser, than introducing EV charging. “We are quite pleased that we held off from introducing EV, because we see growth in other areas and with EV there is no return essentially,” he says.
“In the past, I would have gone down that path, but the family and shareholders were not at all keen. They all wanted to invest in something that they can make money out of and EV never offered that opportunity and doesn’t at the moment.”
The Brize Norton site, which boasts a half-acre valeting centre with two rollover washes and six jet washes, and parking for around 30 vehicles, underwent its store upgrade last autumn after two significant brands opened outlets just 400m from its door in 2024 – sending shop sales downward.
Since moving the Subway into the more prominent former car wash section, and introducing seating for 14 people and touchscreen kiosks for customers to place orders, sales have increased by 30%.
Central to this is that 90% of customers order via the kiosks, a method of payment in which they are more likely to treat themselves and buy more as they feel less “judged” by their purchase, says Fraser.
“We are really happy with the kiosks and will be introducing them at other Subways in the future,” he adds.
Meanwhile, The Cellar-branded beer cave – set at 10 degrees celsius – is now coming into its own with the warmer weather after a slow start, with beer sales up 15% year on year.
“We needed to cater for a change in our shop’s needs,” says Fraser. “And the improvements, which have moved us to a new place in the community, definitely stabilised the drop in sales. Since spring we have been starting to see growth in the store again.
“And that is bearing in mind that this outlet had become very reliant on vape sales which have been dropping off because of the disposable ban. Also, fuel continues to be strong,” he adds.
“We like our model, but it requires more land, and means acquiring either a bare site to develop, or an existing petrol station and then purchase more land around it. The issue is the valuations that petrol stations fetch, that becomes difficult, with them fetching a pretty penny. We are very keen on the model, we just have to find opportunities.”
The third generation business, which celebrated its 70th anniversary last September, operates sites at Marlborough in Wiltshire, Three Mile Cross in Reading, Berkshire, and Yarnton, Witney and Brize Norton in Oxfordshire.
