A filling station in East Sussex has reopened following a comprehensive redevelopment that cost almost £650,000.
Hawkswood Service Station on the A271 in Hailsham, seven miles north of Eastbourne, was acquired last year by Platinum Retail last year from Pricewatch Group, with Sej Sejpal’s firm clear from the outset they wanted to invest in the forecourt and its shop.
The site has now undergone a comprehensive round of improvements inside and out, as Jamie Sejpal, Platinum’s operations manager, explains.
“We wanted to switch the site to BP but the canopy was too low for their tankers, so that’s new. And the tanks that were here before were milk-tank small, and BP would have been having to come almost every day to deliver, so we now have one large tank with compartments.”
Given the nature of that work the site’s hardstanding had to be renewed, while Platinum also installed a jet-wash bay, and is weighing up getting an EV charger put in.
The new Morrisons Daily shop replaces the previous Nisa one and inside, all new is new. There’s smart wood-effect flooring, an inviting food-to-go and coffee installation sourced from BP, brand-new fridges, a run of freezers stocking Cook produce, and a smart, modern till area.
It’s a very sleek convenience store that would work well as a standalone operation, let alone as a forecourt shop. Tellingly, during out visit we see more than one customer with a wheeled shopping basket in tow as they work their way around the aisles.
So comprehensive a refresh meant that the forecourt closed in August and didn’t reopen until December last year, but today marks the official reopening, as Josh Sejpal, Platinum’s area manager, explains.
“We opened on 18 December, but that was a soft launch. Today is the official opening, so we’re giving away goodie bags to customers to let them know we’re open, and also to give a little something back.”
Sej Sejpal arrives on site before long, and while he’s clearly pleased with the renewal, he notes one or two areas that could still be improved, highlighting that top of the shop building needs pressure-washing, and there should be more hanging-aisle signs to point shoppers towards different products.
“I learnt with the likes of Mr Ronson [of Rontec fame] and Mr Peacock [of SGN]”, he says. ”While everyone else might like to head straight into the shop, I’ll spend 10 minutes outside first. Are the bins emptied? Are there diesel gloves? Is the site cared for?”
Sej explains that he puts himself “in the shoes of the customer” when he visits a site. “I ask myself what they would see if they were coming here for the first time. A site doesn’t have to be perfect, but it needs to be foundationally right. Sometimes lines are out, but everything should still be fully merchandised and faced up. I hate gaps.”
He details the Hawkswood improvements cost “almost £650,000”, but that despite that significant sum, the investment should reach maturity within 18 months.
“We’re expecting £50-55 thousand from this store, and 80,000 litres a week, and my EBITDA for this site should be £500k for the year”, he remarks with refreshing candour.
