A Norfolk forecourt is permanently closing down tomorrow because it can no longer run on the paltry margins - just 4ppl - it makes from fuel. The sad news flies directly in the face of media stories about greedy retailers and their supposedly inflated fuel margins.
Family-run Woodrow Garage in Holt Road, Cawston, has been operating since the 1980s but rising costs means the forecourt part of the business is no longer viable.
Owner Paul Woodrow told the North Norfolk News that he doesn’t want to close but his hands are tied. “The forecourt is busy but we’re only earning £78 a day in profit. Even if we doubled our footfall it still wouldn’t be enough,” he said. He added that they earn just 4ppl on fuel but it is costing him £250 a day for electricity. He said he would need to sell 6,000 litres of fuel a day just to cover the electricity bill.
Nikki Sealson, office manager at the garage, told Forecourt Trader: “It’s sad to be closing but it’s just not viable. Paul kept it going for as long as he could; the workshop subsidised the forecourt.
“Unfortunately we will be losing four part-time members of staff who worked in the shop. Perhaps if people used the shop more we could have stayed open.”
Woodrow Garage’s workshop offering MOTs, car services and diagnostics will remain open.
