The success of UK fuel retailing and a constricted property-supply market saw an average of five buyers compete to purchase each forecourt listed for sale in 2025.
The insight comes from commercial property firm Christie & Co, which advised on forecourt transactions worth £603m last year, and was involved in a third of all sales.
The firm says that the sector continues to undergo “significant transformation”, with operators diversifying their sites into “multi-purpose forecourt destinations”, expanding convenience offerings, and franchised food and coffee options, while also increasingly catering for wellness-focussed younger customers, and attracting “social-media driven footfall”.
Yet while trends continue to evolve, one longstanding characteristic expected to continue into 2026 is for demand for forecourts to outstrip supply, with smaller sites being repurposed, with larger ones redeveloped to maximises their value.
Steve Rodell, Christie & Co’s managing director for retail and leisure, highlights that one of last year’s more significant trends was a relaxing of banks’ rules surrounding ESG (environmental, social and governance).
This saw finance houses bring to an end policies requiring loans and mortgages issued against forecourts to be repaid by 2035 in-line with the ban on new petrol-and diesel car sales, allowing for longer loan agreements and more generous terms. The firm expects banks to “continue to show confidence” in the fuel-retail sector.
Rodell also emphasises the significance of “the extended relevance of traditionally fuelled vehicles amid delays in EV infrastructure and automaker readiness”.
