Forecourt operator Stuart Riding credits his competitive pricing strategy for a 100% uplift in fuel volume, and for increasing shop sales by double digits at his first site, which is approaching its second-year with the former head of dealer sales at Harvest Energy.
His Shell Cottingham Road Service Station on the edge of Corby, an industrial town in Northamptonshire, now has a fuel volume of 7mlpa. And since switching from Spar to Parfetts’ Shop & Go fascia this summer, profit margins have improved, and weekly store turnover has jumped 18% to an average of £18,000.
Riding, who acquired the site’s lease from Peter and Joe Hockenhull in September 2024, says that the location’s demographics make it suited to having a large range of price-marked items, and Parfetts’ value-led promotions. This positioning, he says, helps to “change the perception of petrol stations being expensive in the shop”, encouraging store-only visits.
He adds: “This is our first retail operation, and we really wanted a symbol partner that gave us the independence to run the business our own way, combined with solid support and a team structure that we can always rely on.”
Riding says that he has also benefited from erratic petrol and diesel pricing in the area during the Iran conflict. ”By keeping our prices consistently competitive, we have brought customers back to our site who had not visited for a while,” he says.
Riding, who is in partnership with accountant and former schoolfriend Simon Emery, says that connecting with the community has also contributed to his success. Not only has he supported charities, he connects with locals on social media, and in other supportive ways such as giving fruit and vegetables beyond their best to a local smallholding to feed its animals.
Since acquiring the one-acre site with eight fuel pumps, the business partners have spent around £250,000 on improvements. This includes introducing a three-bay jet wash hub, parcel lockers and two laundry machines. They have also invested in a small refit of the 1,750sq ft shop.
Stockport-based Parfetts describes Cottingham Road coming on board as a “milestone” for its Shop & Go fascia which has been developed for transient locations, commuter hubs, and busy forecourts where shoppers want to get in and out quickly. The core range focuses heavily on food-to-go, impulse lines, snacks, and chilled drinks, as well as everyday top-up essentials.
Riding’s site brings the number of outlets with the Shop & Go colours to 25, as the family wholesaler pushes further into the Midlands and the south of England, having opened its depots in Birmingham and later Southampton in the past few years.
Its joint managing director Guy Swindell says that there is “real momentum” behind the fascia, which has joined Parfetts’ Go Local, Go Local Extra, Local4U, and The Local brands. “We developed Shop & Go because retailers were asking for a modern, high-margin brand tailored for busy people on the move,” says Swindell.
He adds: “Seeing it perform so well at a high-turnover 7mlpa site like Corby, shows exactly what the format can do. Stuart and his team have done a fantastic job of turning this into a forecourt that has everything customers need, all in one place. Our growth through our newer depots in Birmingham and Southampton means we can support even more independent retailers across the country, helping them pull in footfall and protect their margins.”
