Parfetts has opened its first Shop & Go convenience store in the south, cutting the ribbon at Muresh Seevaratnam’s Gosport forecourt, which previously featured a Premier store.
The Stockport-based wholesaler expanded into the south with last year’s opening of its ninth depot in Southampton. The Shop & Go symbol is another recent development, with 23 stores having taken the value-led fascias on since the format launched in December 2024.
Guy Swindell, joint managing director of Parfetts, explains that Shop & Go “is designed for transient locations with time-sensitive shoppers, from forecourts to commuter hubs”.
Seevaratnam’s Gosport site, which he recently transitioned over from Harvest to Jet following the demise of Prax, has undergone a £250,000 store makeover, as he explains:
“I bought the site in 2016 and installed a new canopy, pumps and till system. I didn’t do much with the shop as it was okay, but over time the refurbishment has been needed, so we redid the interior.”
Seevaratnam details that by buying outdoor storage he was able to convert the stock room into retail space, and that the 8mlpa forecourt was able to keep trading for the two weeks the shop was closed, save for two days when a new till counter and electrics were installed.
Six of his 13 forecourts are now signed up with Parfetts for shop supplies, while he says the Shop & Go format “is ideal for a petrol filling station where customers want speed, choice and value”.
