Spar wholesaler and retailer James Hall & Co has extended its agreement with Valero to continue selling Texaco fuel across all its Texaco-branded sites, with a new site in Threshfield, Yorkshire, due to open in early 2017. This will bring the total number of sites that are Texaco-branded to 11.

James Hall & Co is the Spar wholesaler for the north of England, supplying more than 600 stores, and also owns an estate of 113 convenience stores and 29 filling stations.

Managing director Andrew Hall said: “Over the years we’ve built a very strong relationship with Chris Cave, our area manager, and Valero. This is a really important relationship for us, and a key factor in our decision to extend our agreement with Valero was having a strong brand like Texaco on our forecourts. Their reliable supply network means our customers can depend on us to meet their needs.”

Andrew Cox, Valero’s director of sales and marketing, said: “We’re delighted that James Hall & Co have extended their agreement with us and it’s great to hear that the redevelopment of Threshfield is under way. Our strong relationship with them, which we’ve built over the years, is something we’re proud of, so we’re very happy they’ve chosen us as fuel supplier for their new site.”’

The latest development, Threshfield, near Skipton in Yorkshire, was purchased in 2015 with the intention of redeveloping it and opening it under the Texaco brand by the end of 2016. However, plans were delayed when it was discovered that the building was home to a colony of pipistrelle bats – a protected species that had to be rehoused. The bats have now been rehoused in a purpose-built bat tower and building work has begun on the store and forecourt, with its opening planned for early 2017.

Tarporley was the first James Hall site to become Texaco-branded in 2002, and nine other sites have since followed, including service stations in Alston (Valero’s most northerly site), Milnthorpe on the edge of the Lake District, Barnton near Northwich and Tarporley near Crewe. All sites receive supply from Valero’s Manchester Terminal, which receives product directly from Valero’s refinery in Pembroke, South Wales.