Top 50 Indie Platinum Retail has opened its first new to industry site in over five years, as part of a busy 2025 which will include three rebuilds and nine shop refits.
The aesthetic of the BP forecourt in Canklow, Rotherham, has been influenced by petrol stations on the Continent, and also EG On The Move new-builds, says Paul McFadden Building and Civil Engineering, which developed the site and sold it as a turnkey operation.
The Spar store has exposed black ceilings, and a modern glass shop frontage using energy saving glazing. Resin flooring outside the shop, and cosmetic larch supports on the exterior, a nod to ski lodges in the Alps says Paul McFadden, give the building its own identity.
Built on a 0.4 acre plot, the South Yorkshire site has a modern convenience store, with 1,200sq ft of space for a foodservice concession with seating. Owner Sej Sejpal has been considering several foodservice brands, including Five Guys, Chick-fil-A and Wendy’s.
The forecourt has four pumps including premium fuel grades, and nine parking bays. There are also plans to introduce AdBlue on pump, alongside BP’s Ultimate with Active technology unleaded and diesel grades.
The Amersham-based company, which now operates 56 forecourts, is investigating the possibility of having chargepoints with BP Pulse at its latest acqusition. It already operates BP Pulse chargepoints at four other sites.
Inside the shop there is a run of Wild Bean Café micro-market food to go and drinks units, with integrated payment, and including freshly-baked pastries, barista-style coffee, and a unit dispensing over 50 drinks such as iced blend drinks, and fruit smoothies. It is Platinum Retail’s 11th forecourt to take the modular units from BP, establishing the operator as the fuel supplier’s single biggest Wild Bean Cafe micro-market customer.
There is also a Rollover food to go cabinet, and a focus on chilled, with eight fridge doors of soft drinks, six doors for beers, six for wine, eight for dairy and ready-meals, and eight for snacking and protein. There is also a three-door freezer unit.
There is plenty competition in the area with a Shell forecourt virtually opposite, and an EG On The Move site, also being developed by Paul McFadden’s business, due to open by the end of March. But Platinum Canklow Service Station is already on track to hit a fuel volume of five million litres per annum, currently tracking at 3.8mlpa for the year.
The purchase of the site brings Platinum Retail’s network to 25 outlets supplied by BP. Other fuel brands include Esso, Jet, Shell and Valero.
Sejpal, who runs the business with his sons Jamie and Josh, and operations director Sathish Babu, says the new to industry Canklow site represents their “ongoing commitment to delivering exceptional service to customers nationwide”.
He adds: “Alongside my sons Jamie and Josh, and our operations director Sathish, we take immense pride in our partnership with BP and Spar. Together, we’re providing not just premium fuel, but a complete experience through the Wild Bean Café micro-market where customers can enjoy quality coffee and food – an offering we’ve successfully expanded throughout our estate.”
Natalie Cattermole, senior dealer manager at BP, adds: “We’re delighted to see the opening of this impressive new site in Canklow. Our relationship with Platinum Retail is going from strength to strength. They have doubled their BP estate from 13 sites in 2022 to 25 sites in 2025. The addition of the Wild Bean Cafe micro-market to our dealer offer is just one way we are working together to keep improving and become first choice for customers on the roadside.”
Platinum Retail says that its plans for 2025 include EV charging being added to four more sites, new rollover car washes being installed on nine sites and repumps for four sites.
