VST Group has bought its 11th forecourt, which will be one of three that the Top 50 Indie plans to switch to its own-brand Loop Convenience shop fascia, supplied by Co-op Wholesale.
The latest acquisition of Epworth Service Station in Doncaster, South Yorkshire, brokered by property agent WT Estates in September, will undergo a five-week re-development in the new year.
The former 1,600sq ft Londis store will be gutted, and fitted with a beer cave. Meanwhile, the Esso turned Jet petrol station will be reconfigured to make the site easier for vehicles to navigate and to add in two jet wash bays. Also, the three pump islands will be replaced with faster equipment, and the canopy will be updated.
Vijayananth Jaganathan, managing director of VST Group, hopes that the £400,000 to £500,000 of improvements will increase the 2mlpa fuel volume by 20%, and the £15,000 weekly shop turnover by at least 30%.
The half-acre site, also houses an MOT garage and large residential property which Jaganathan will continue to lease to the current tenants.
The outlet, previously owned for 20 years by Mattu Limited, will be the second to take the Loop Convenience, Proud to Stock Co-op branding.
First, VST’s South Molton, Devon forecourt is due to undergo a rebadge from Costcutter to the own-brand next week. This Valero site is being further developed to take a beer cave and more hot food cabinets for lunches, including curries and pasta, made in the site’s kitchen.
The third of VST’s forecourts to take the new colours will be at its head office location, Bryn Gelli Service Station in Llanelli, Carmarthenshire, in the new year.
Jaganathan has signed a five-year agreement with Co-op Wholesale to supply 35 Loop Convenience branded stores – most of which are convenience businesses in the southwest of England and along the south coast. The first of these sites, a former Spar outlet in Preston, Weymouth, launched with the own-brand last month.
“We wanted to give customers a change with Loop, while providing them with the quality of the Co-op range,” says Jaganathan.
