New Top 50 Indie entrant Muresh Seevaratnam, who is rapidly growing his network by purchasing ‘tired’ forecourts to develop, is exceeding his sales predictions at the petrol filling station he opened last week after a £650,000 redevelopment.
Seevaratnam, who now operates 10 forecourts and is on track to have 12 within six months, paid £1 million for Overbrook Service Station. He says that the Harvest Energy site, in the village of Drybrook, Gloucestershire, needed a “nothing left unturned” external and internal overhaul having been closed for six years.
The ‘before’ and ‘after’ photos show a complete transformation with a new Harvest Energy canopy and fuel piping, upgraded unleaded and diesel pumps – there are two islands with four nozzles – relined tanks, and a leak detection system being installed.
And Seevaratnam has gone a step further by purchasing a house several minutes away for the site’s six staff to stay in.
The 1,200sq ft shop – one of three he has with the new Parfetts’ Shop & Go fascia – was gutted, with a food prep area and toilets introduced.
Its decoration has been carefully curated with faux herringbone flooring, a gondola end plant wall effect, and modern hexagonal wall tiles in various colours to donate specific sections in the store – design elements from Parfetts’ Shop & Go template.
This has been complemented with stylish lighting from Rickmansworth-based shopfitter James Anthony Enterprises, run by former retail development controller at Musgrave Retail Partners, Nick Tryfonos. This includes backlighting the red wine, as well as spirits section, and installing blue feature lighting under stacks of promotional beer on the sales floor.
Also to suit the affluent customer base, and reflecting that there is only a Co-op as competition for groceries in the village, there are four chillers and two double-door upright freezers. There are also two “very well received” Fieldfare chest freezers selling frozen sweet snacks and meal components.
Other additions include two slush machines from Celtic Frozen Drinks, Rollover hotdogs, and Smokin’ Bean coffee with a week’s worth of free supplies for customers to trial. Also, Seevaratnam says that the site is the first smaller independent forecourt operator to take the Cornwall Pasty Company hot cabinet of pasties and sausage rolls.
The five months of renovation is already paying dividends. In his first few days of running the business, indications are that the site will hit three million litres of fuel per annum. The shop is showing signs it could turn over an annual £1 million.
He now plans to increase the amount of parking from four spaces to around 14 by levelling land behind the shop.
“Sales have been way above my expectations,” says Seevaratnam, who expected fuel volume to be closer to one million litres per annum.
“Locals, including primary school mums on school runs, have been thanking me for opening the shop in the village saying that there is a need for an off-licence outlet, selling reasonably priced groceries. I’m very pleased with the reception we have been getting.”
Seevaratnam, who trades as Deansbrook Garage Group, burst into the Top 50 Indies this February, having acquired five new sites last year doubling the size of his estate. He says that he is looking for further outlets in the area.
