David Charman’s award-winning Parkfoot Spar/BP forecourt in West Malling in Kent continues to innovate, becoming one of the first operators in the UK to house an ice cube vending machine and to take the Iceland range of frozen products.
The Forecourt Trader of the Year site on the A20 played host to our latest On The Road with Forecourt Trader event lastThursday (June 4), in which Charman gave a behind the scenes tour to representatives from a dozen leading petrol station businesses.
Charman, the third generation to run the family business originally founded in 1948, had that same week taken delivery of the Ice Rebus ice making machine. The unit had made its UK debut at the industry’s NEC show in April and was on display on the forecourt at the entrance of the 24-hour store.
The equipment, from Croatian supplier Ice Rebus, dispenses ice cubes in bulk for get-togethers, and complements Charman’s impressive BBQ food range prepared onsite by his 12-strong instore butcher team, which is part of a 68-strong workforce.
Charman retails 3kg bags for £3, and he expects the service to be popular with customers for parties, barbecues or for stocking up the freezer.
Inside the shop Charman had also recently added the Iceland range, supplied by Spar wholesaler AF Blakemore; one of two sponsors on the day, and which has partnered Charman for 24 years.
AF Blakemore, one of the UK’s largest Spar wholesalers, is collaborating with Iceland Foods to allow convenience stores to stock the frozen brand’s own-label and exclusive branded lines. Charman says customer reaction has been positive towards the four-door freezer range, which includes Iceland, Myprotein, and Slimming World products.
The other sponsor, Flying Turtle, had its new concept drink vending machine on loan for the day. With a similar footprint to a Costa Express, its alternative provides up to 350 different made-to-order hot and cold with ice drinks, including frappes, slush-style and biscuit crumb topped options.
Its head of operations, James Morrison, told the gathering that the sweetness level and milk content can be adjusted to taste. And he said that the business offers a revenue share package, in which it provides the equipment, ingredients, maintenance and filling of the machine.
Attendees were also shown around the butchery preparation area, responsible for making the tandoori pork steaks, Chinese chicken kebabs, and jerk belly slices on display.
And they saw the upstairs on-site kitchen, which replaced the boardroom as part of a £900,000-plus refit navigated with AF Blakemore last year.
The project was a year in planning, balancing the Spar and Parkfoot brands, developing under-represented categories such as vapes and produce.
Charman told the group that he remained trading throughout the duration of the work, stressing that closing the 365-day open site was never on the agenda. “I don’t understand the word closed,” he said.
It meant that the business operated from a third of its sales space, 1,000sq ft, but still generated a weekly income of £75,000, with a limited range of core, staple lines.
He has also arranged for AF Blakemore to make night-time deliveries at the site. The three night-shift workers are generally not too busy with customers, admits Charman. He is considering using dynamic pricing to encourage more late and early hours shopping. “Dynamic pricing does not always have to be upwards,” he says.
Attendees included representatives from Atlas Retailers, EG On The Move, Hawtree & Son, Henley Retail, Highway Stops, Krisco Services Group, Platinum Retail, Raven’s Budgens Abridge, Refuel Forecourts, Stans superstore, Sterling Petroleum, and Tankerford.
