A Spar forecourt store at Maiden Newton in Dorset has won the Best Forecourt 2016 award at the third staging of the Appleby Westward Retail Awards.

Olly Andrews’ Maiden Newton store won the Best Forecourt award along with the Best Spar Brand award, while colleague Abi James won the Best Store Manager award.

Appleby Westward, the regional distribution company for Spar stores in the south and west, staged the event in the grand surroundings of the Bristol Museum and Art Gallery, where the high standards and achievements of stores across the region were celebrated.

The Maiden Newton store has recently undergone its second major refit in three years which has doubled its size to 2,100sq ft following a co-investment project between owner Olly and Appleby Westward.

"It looks like a new store and we’re beating our footfall records every week," said Olly, who managed the project himself. "Our customers think it’s great, everyone has been impressed and had something positive to say, and there’s no doubt we have redeveloped the store to a very high standard.

"Although we’re a forecourt store, we’re much more than that and very much a store serving the local community. Fuel is really just an add-on to the convenience offer we have."