Gardner family ‘future-proof’ original forecourt

Gardner Garages last week relaunched its forecourt in Huntley, Gloucestershire after a £1.1 million refurbishment that doubled the size of the shop, and introduced a jet wash bay, electric vehicle charging, an internal laundry, and a walk-in beer cave.

The renovation, which shut the business for more than five weeks, will help future-proof the site and win back 15% of turnover lost in the past two years to a Morrisons Daily opening and a Londis redevelopment within a mile of the forecourt, says the company.

The 2,650 sq ft Budgens-branded outlet, which was previously with Londis, has also boosted chiller space from 8m to 15m, and upright freezer capacity from 2m to 6m. It has also increased the number of chest freezers with a cabinet for Hedonist frozen cook at home bakery products, as well as five Cook units for the upmarket ready-meals and desserts range, two more units than it had before.

The relaunch marks the 30^th year anniversary for the family at the site on the A40 the edge of Huntley – the first in a chain of six forecourts owned by the Gardners in the southwest of England. It was opened months after operations director Ashton Gardner was born.

As part of the upgrade, the business, now largely run by Ashton and his sister Emma who is managing director, has switched from Texaco to Valero forecourt branding. The EV charger, with two bays, is supplied by BP and branded as Pulse.

The forecourt operator already has EV charging at a site it acquired, but this is its first installation of EV chargepoints.

Ashton said that he chose BP because he is supplied by the energy giant at two other locations and has a good relationship. “I did speak to a lot of other people, but I like the BP app, which loyal customers will use to search out Pulse sites,” he said.

To win planning approval, the business had to fit a bike shelter. Other work included a forecourt resurface, but because of uncertainty about the future of internal combustion engine vehicles, the business decided to keep existing pumps and tanks, with the latter cleaned to introduce super unleaded, instead of premium diesel.

Changes to the shop include a beer cave with automatic sliding doors, with the temperature maintained at nine degrees centigrade. And there is an internal laundry, with two 9kg capacity washers and driers, and a 15kg washer and drier, attached to the shop, but which can operate outside the 5am to 11pm opening hours.

Décor features black ceiling tiles in a white grid, and wooden feature flooring near the till and food to go area, which includes the brands Stone Willys Kitchen, Proper Cornish, and a small display of Country Choice bakery products and toasties for the evening trade.

There are two Costa coffee machines, dispensing hot and iced coffee and fruit cooler drinks, a Tango Blast, two Monster chillers side by side with an accompanying overhead marketing screen, and a free-to-use Cooleraid water dispenser.

Other highlights include a stylish toilet which would not look out of place serving executive offices, and the introduction of Pansonic shelf-edge labelling, which Ashton says give the store a more upmarket feel as well as taking away the grind of ensuing stock is priced accurately.

“Electronic labelling is one of the things I am most happy with and have wanted to introduce for ages,” said Ashton. “But we are so happy to have future proofed what is our oldest site and has a special place in our hearts.”