Forecourt operator Raymond Lusty has opened the doors to his family’s third forecourt in Larne, this time in the Townparks area of the town which is on the east coast of County Antrim, Northern Ireland.
The Lusty family, which has been in forecourt retailing for 25 years, purchased a 10-year lease on the site from Solo Petroleum, and has spent £650,000 on developing it.
The Solo Petroleum-branded forecourt has a jet wash and two 24-hour laundry machines.
And the Centra store on-site features LED lighting, energy efficient refrigeration, and electronic shelf-edge labels. The former Spar was gutted for the refurbishment which included new fixtures, fittings and layout.
Raymond says that the business offers a wide range of meal solutions for breakfast, lunch and dinner, including food-to-go options such as chicken curry from a new hot and cold deli counter, which also offers ‘create your own’ freshly made sandwiches.
There is also a Frank and Honest Coffee dock with 100% compostable coffee cups, plastic free coffee capsules and Rainforest Alliance certified coffee beans. The gourmet coffee brand also offers a digital loyalty app enabling customers to get a free coffee after earning 10 digital stamps.
Raymond, who owns two other Centra/Circle K fuel branded outlets in the town, says that the work on his latest site was to provide a “more seamless and modern shopping environment”.
The store is run by 20 staff spread over the opening hours of 6.30am to 10pm Monday to Saturday, and 7am to 10pm on Sunday.
It also has a strong local food offer with supplies from a local bakery and butcher, as well as the Good Food Locally Sourced range from Musgrave NI, the parent company of Centra.
Centra says that adopting its fascia gives partner stores a strong focus on value, offering shoppers over 100 special offer items every week and over 300 own-brand products up to 40% cheaper than better known brands. This is as well as the Epic Deals promotion on four big brand products, which change every three weeks, says the company.
Raymond says he is pleased with how his new site is performing. ”Feedback from our shoppers has been extremely positive, particularly with the new deli, and we look forward to continuing to serve the local community with a one-stop shop and the best in modern convenience retailing for many years to come,” he says.
His other two forecourts are at Old Glenarm Road, Larne, and Redlands Road, Larne Port. Raymond’s father who originally set up the business is still involved.
