An independent forecourt is outdoing the multiples’ headline-grabbing money-off deals on fuel. Paul Delves, the former managing director of the 10-store Harry Tuffins group which was bought by the Co-op, is back in business and is offering vouchers giving 15p off per litre of fuel, up to 50 litres, for customers who spend £75 in store.

Both Sainsbury’s and Tesco have had deals offering 10ppl off for a certain spend in store, but their deals have been limited to a single week, while Delves’ offer has already been running for six weeks and he intends to make it permanent.

Delves bought back the 28,000sq ft Harry Tuffins store at Craven Arms in Shropshire in May, and said he came up with the offer as a way of encouraging customers to spend more.

He said: “With an average spend of £60 it has encouraged customers to spend a little bit extra and sales are up 10% over the past four months. Fuel sales are also up 8% year-on-year.”

He added that he viewed the offer as the store’s loyalty card and he planned to keep it going.

He said: “Anything that Tesco and Sainsbury can do, the independents can do better.”

Delves also revealed that he was looking to buy some more smaller forecourts and said he hoped he would have added two more within the next 12 months.

“I’ve never really had the time to look before,” he said. “I’m looking at one or two. There are opportunities out there.”

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