From a soft play area and outdoor gym to a gaming room for teenagers and exercise pen for dogs, ”something for everyone” is how Welcome Break’s chief executive John Diviney describes Rotherham Services, the latest addition to its now 59-site service area network in the UK.
The development, off J33 of the M1, has been getting lots of industry attention for its interior streetscape – with a ‘village square’ complete with fountain, its shop fascias clad with faux stonework, road names, and even a red telephone box housing a defribilator.
Forecourt Trader went to see the main amenity building for ourselves eight weeks after it officially opened, and was impressed with features that have been getting less interest from the media, including an interchangeable digital display that switches a fast food kiosk from The Good Breakfast to Chopstix for lunch-time.
On the food front, there really is a myriad of offers to appeal to most customers. The six food concessions include a Burger King, a KFC, a Pret A Manger and a Starbucks, as well as a WH Smith and Little Waitrose. “We want every individual in the car to be catered for,” says Diviney.
There is plenty of seating with the all important plug-in points to charge phones and laptops, both next to the toddler Play Zone upstairs, and the eating area below.
While locals are unlikely to fill up at the site, with motorway service area prices of unleaded at 165.9p per litre when we visited, and diesel at 173.9p per litre, other factors are pulling these customers in.
The manager of the site says that the soft play area is used by local families throughout the weekend. And older children too would be kept busy with the Fun House gaming room which has plush toy grabber machines – including one branded Kawaii Kuties, the Sonic car racing games, a Transformers Sega game, and a VR Python virtual reality ride.
While mini casinos are commonplace in service areas – and this site has its own adult Game Zone with roulette and slot machines – a Fun House gaming room for children aged from eight upwards is a new concept, and the first for Welcome Break.
When we visited on a Tuesday morning in mid-March the site felt quiet. A digital sign in the parking area said that we were one of 27,251 weekly visitors to Rotherham Services.
There are 28 electric vehicle chargepoints – eight of which are Applegreen Electric branded and 20 Tesla. And an outside picnic area with numerous tables and benches are near the charging hub for electric vehicle motorists looking to enjoy dwell time. Customers using the executive-style toilets will not be disappointed, with high end materials used and an immaculate presentation.
When Welcome Break launched the £55m site, its first new motorway service area for 20 years, it said it was an “entirely new concept” for Welcome Break. We would not disagree.
Welome Break’s chief executive John Diviney says that he is “really delighted” with the results. ”It has the ‘wow factor’, when people come in you see them smile, and customer feedback is fantastic. There’s plenty of space and things to do for toddlers, teeangers and adults, and we are really happy with the brand line up. It is a great site at a great location,” he says.
Look out for Forecourt Trader’s exclusive interview with Diviney on the motorway service area operator’s plans for the UK, to be published shortly.
