The rise of the forecourt beer cave continues apace, after a Scottish Esso-branded site announced it is to reopen with an 800sq ft refrigerated beer cave, and a separate soft drinks cave of the same size.
Beer caves are becoming an increasingly popular feature in modern forecourts, as operators seek to capitalise on the rise of convenience shopping with extended ranges of alcoholic drinks.
Some operators are also using the caves to enhance their age-verification programmes and improve their loss-prevention rates by fitting security measures to the caves, such as biometric age-checking cameras working in conjunction with automatic doors.
In addition to its beer cave, though, the 5,000sq ft shop at the New Elgin filling station will also feature an 800sq ft soft drinks cave – a less common feature – offering “a massive selection of soft drinks from around the world”, as well as “classics”.
The forecourt, in Elgin, Moray, reopens on April 11, after an extensive refit that saw the site close on March 24. The update will also see a hot food kitchen and fresh bakery installed, in addition to a completely new checkout area featuring modern LED pendant lights, plus en vogue wood effect panelling.
