Roadchef has secured the leases for five of its motorway services for a further 75 years, with the company announcing the deal provides sufficient long-term stability for it to put £300m into a five-year improvement plan.
The firm will spend the money on new EV charging and improved HGV facilities, with the former motivated by “increased consumer demand”, and the latter being “a key priority” for Roadchef as it seeks to improve driver welfare. The firm will also extend retail and catering offerings at its existing sites, and has the capacity to develop new ones.
The 75-year lease extension was agreed between Roadchef, the Department for Transport and motorway-network manager National Highways, and applies to: Clacket Lane East and Westbound; Northampton North and Southbound; Sandbach North and Southbound; Strensham Northbound; and Watford Gap Northand Southbound.
Tim Gittins, Roadchef’s chief execute, commented: “Securing the lease extension on five state-owned sites marks a significant milestone for Roadchef, giving us the long-term certainty to deliver new investment across the network. We are focused on enhancing the customer experience today, while making the upgrades needed for the future.
He added the deal “demonstrates what can be achieved when the public and private sector collaborate with a shared ambition”.
Roadchef operates a total of 31 motorway services across the country, and is developing two new sites on the A1(M). In 2024 the company made a pre-tax loss of £5.9m, with disruption caused by roadworks on the M1 and M25 said to be partially to blame for challenging trading conditions.
