MRH (GB) has five potential acquisitions on the go that could close this side of the summer, according to the company’s chief executive Karen Dickens. She said scale was really important because of the best deals that can be had from a shop, fuels or foodservice perspective. "But the real reason is the customer. As we’re looking at reinforcing the MRH brand and the service and everything that stands for, we’re looking at acquisitions that build our network to make sure that more people can experience what we have to offer across the whole country. We want to be in the islands of Scotland right down to Penzance. A lot of the acquisitions we’re looking at are in areas where we don’t have a strong presence today. It’s a geographical strategy, not a numbers strategy."

She was speaking at the opening of the first of the MRH/Co-op trial sites last month. The Eastcote site was officially opened by children from a local primary school during an open day attended by local dignitaries and executives from MRH and Lone Star, the US private equity firm that bought MRH in 2016.

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