Park Garage Group has seen an uplift of at least 20% on its shop and fuel sales since spending £1.2m on its Mogador site in Surrey, which now sports Valero branding.
Previously a Texaco forecourt, the 24-hour site, on the A217 just off J8 of the M25, now has a fuel volume of between 60,000 to 70,000 litres a week.
It was the 100th branded site for Valero in the UK when it opened in early December after a five-month refurbishment. However, the fuel provider is now up to 105 outlets taking its canopy in the UK, with plans to hit 134 by April, and towards 200 by the end of the year.
Since late 2023, Valero has been rapidly expanding the number of dealers donning its colours, launching with Ascona at the Top 50 Indie’s flagship forecourt near the oil distributor’s Pembroke refinery in Wales. SGN Retail, MFG, MPK Garages and Platinum Retail are among those who have followed, and now Valero has representation in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.
Valero says that 2025 was a record-breaking year for its business in the UK with it now supplying 921 retail service stations in total – including those operated by Welcome Break, Asda, Co-op, and EG On The Move – the highest number since entering the UK market in 2011. It also won oil initiative of the year in Forecourt Trader’s 2025 Awards.
Park Mogador is one of 18 of the family business’s petrol stations to have taken the blue and yellow canopy, in a programme switching its Valero-supplied sites to the brand which started last autumn. Another 28 have been earmarked to follow by March this year in a 10-year agreement with Valero. Other fuel brands for the 80-strong site Park Garage Group include BP and Shell.
The renovation saw the Park & Shop store double in size to incorporate the Top 50 Indies’ own Bakery 79 foodservice concept.
Separate to the main store, on the left hand side of the entrance, its inhouse food to go area includes a window seating with six perch stools and four standard plug-points.
Bakery 79 snacks are appealing to the morning commuter trade in particular, says Park Garage Group, turning over around £800 a day, with trading hours 6am to 5pm on weekdays, 7am-5pm on Saturdays and 8-4pm on Sundays.
In the grocery area there is further hot food and drink options with a Rollover cabinet and a Starbucks coffee machine.
The former Somerfield site, bought by the business in 2006, has four fuel pump islands with premium and standard petrol and diesel, a jet wash, three Wash.ME laundry machines, and a cash machine.
And four bays of EV charging are due to be introduced in the next couple of months – the third site for Park Garage Group to have the 480kW sockets under a canopy.
Managing director Sunil Tandon admits that in hindsight it would have been easier to have gone to the expense of knocking down the building and starting again. “We may as well have done a knockdown rebuild. Everything you can see is new, although we didn’t replace the tanks,” says Tandon.
But there has been plenty attention to detail with an impressive high-end bathroom, complete with dark grey marble effect flooring and walls, statement lighting and mirror with touch lighting. The facility is spacious for wheelchair access, and equipped with baby changing equipment. A cabinet to display hand lotion, and feminine hygiene products is on its way.
Head of operations Ian Cawley says he even went to the length of producing mood boards to get the style of restroom he wanted.
Also adding flair, is feature lighting in the store, slate coloured flooring, and still to come is a specially designed lit-up welcome board: an indulgent but thoughtful touch coming in at £5,000.
”There will be a lot of entries for the next Forecourt Trader awards for this site,” Cawley affirms.
