Fast growing top 50 Indie Ascona has added Enterprise Autos, a well-established forecourt in Crumlin, South Wales, to its estate.

Enterprise Autos is situated on the A467 between the towns of Pontypool and Blackwood, and features a Mace-branded convenience store and a Shell-branded forecourt, in addition to a small used car dealership and hand car wash on site. The site was brought to the market by specialist business property adviser Christie & Co.

The forecourt had been owned and operated by the Griffiths family for more than 50 years. Current directors, Rob and Marc Griffiths, with the assistance of other family members, took over day-to-day operations of the forecourt from their father more than 30 years ago. Rob and Marc were keen to take a step back from the business as Rob and his wife looked towards retirement.

Rob Griffiths commented: “We have worked hard to create a thriving, family-run forecourt business with multiple income streams but felt that the time was right for us to step back and let another operator develop the site further. We are delighted that an expanding Welsh operator has bought the site and we wish them all the best with their future development plans. Dave Morris at Christie & Co helped us through the process, and we would like to thank him for his advice and assistance.”

Ascona plans to continue to supply the fuel with Shell but will remodel and extend the convenience store.

Duncan Morris, property director of Ascona said: “Ascona are again delighted to announce a further addition to our growing network. Enterprise Autos provides Ascona with a perfect addition to the Welsh sites in our portfolio. As a long-established site, Enterprise Autos offers the full range of forecourt facilities serving commuters and the local community. Ascona are developing plans to update the site and in particular develop the shop to further extend the food-to-go and coffee offers. Our thanks go to Christie & Co for their assistance in making the deal happen.”

Dave Morris, director at Christie & Co, handled the sale and commented: “It was great to get this sale over the line. Ascona’s plans to develop the site further should help to drive customer footfall and we look forward to seeing the end result.

“The sale of Enterprise Autos demonstrates the continued demand for profitable forecourts across South Wales. Moreover, the market for freehold forecourts remains competitive, particularly where there is the potential to develop the site further.”