Murco and Costcutter have reached a significant milestone with the opening of their latest forecourt store – in Wallasey Village, Liverpool – the partnership’s 50th and its first venture in the North West of England.

As part of the site’s development, the original shop was extended from 400sq ft to 1,600 sq ft, and, according to Murco, sales are already exceeding expectations. Tony Walker, Murco’s retail development specialist, said: “To improve on non-fuel income, it was essential to develop the appeal of the site. We have introduced a store of the highest quality, where people come to shop in earnest – as soon as they enter the shop they forget they’re on a forecourt.”

Higher gondolas have been introduced to make the store feel more like a standalone supermarket, and trolleys and baskets help to create a grocery environment.

Services at the 24-hour site include on-site parking, a rollover car wash, vacuum, cash machine, off licence, news and magazines, chilled and grocery offers, bake off, and wide aisles for wheelchair and pushchair access. The shop entrance has also been designed to encourage walk-on trade. “We have put the entrance doors at an angle so that the doors are facing both the pavement and the forecourt,” explained Gary Pearce, Costcutter’s national forecourt sales manager.

“The design feature means that non-fuel purchasing customers can enter the store without having to cross the forecourt and motorists still have convenient, direct access from the forecourt.