Euro Garages invests £6m to reduce carbon footprint

Top 50 Indie Euro Garages has invested £6m into reducing its carbon footprint by installing renewable energy sources across its network of sites.

The group has installed solar panels generating over 1.6 million kilowatts of energy – enough to power 400 homes – across the rooftops of more than a fifth of its forecourts. The move saves 1,112,000 tonnes of CO₂ emissions year on year.

The investment includes technologies that use power more economically across sites, such as LED lighting and solar thermal systems that can be used to heat up water. Reducing water consumption is a key part of Euro Garages’ energy strategy, with usage monitored for efficiency and the business using rainwater harvesting where possible.

This will cut the group’s projected energy bills by about 22% over a 20-year period as well as reducing CO₂ emissions.

Mohammed Patel, utilities manager at Euro Garages, said: “We believe it is important to evolve our business and work to reduce our carbon footprint, while also generating significant efficiency savings.

“We’re committed to reducing our carbon footprint through investments in renewable energy and will continue to explore new ways to use sustainable resources across our sites, setting a leading example in our sector to follow.”

Last year, Euro Garages, which is backed by TDR Capital, merged with European Forecourt Retail Group, creating a forecourt retail business with almost 1,500 sites and a new holding company, Intervias.

The group has partnerships with leading brands including Starbucks, Sainsbury’s, Subway, Burgerking, Greggs and KFC in the UK and Carrefour, Pomme de Pain and PAUL in mainland Europe.

Euro Garages was ranked third in the 2017 Forecourt Trader Top 50 Indies with 372 UK forecourt sites.