Hey big spender

In challenging conditions, forecourt investment continues to surpass the rest of the convenience channel.

The headline from the Association of Convenience Stores’ (ACS) Forecourt Report 2025 is that forecourt investment continues to outpace the rest of the convenience sector, with the UK’s petrol forecourt retailers having invested more than £15,000 per store on average last year.

It’s nigh-on impossible to underplay the crucial role that forecourts play in society. According to the report, the UK forecourt sector creates more than 85,000 jobs, with one in three colleagues (33%) being in the business for more than 10 years.

Many forecourt retailers are linchpins within their localities, with 78% active in their communities, raising money for local charities, getting involved with local projects, and donating to food banks. And what’s more, petrol forecourts were ranked as the fifth most essential service on local high streets, behind banks and ahead of pubs and bars.

ACS Chief Executive James Lowman says: “Forecourt retailers continue to make significant investments in improving their offer to customers, spending money on futureproofing their stores through new technology and refrigeration, as well as into services like parcel collection points and click and collect for groceries.”

However, he warns that they are “not immune from the challenges facing other retailers on increased employment costs and particularly business rates”.

In fact, Edge Petrol’s recently published Special Report 2025: A Year In Review paints a bleak picture of the future of convenience retail within UK forecourts, with former forecourt retailer-turned-consultant, Michael O’Loughlin, predicting the closure of a number of shops in 2026. “Unfortunately, when the government increased Employer National Insurance, I correctly predicted job losses,” he said in the report. “The situation is not likely to get any better. As efforts to grow non-fuel sales through the till remain challenging, operators and suppliers continue to look for ways to reduce costs and the biggest costs are people. Look out for more PFS [petrol filling station] shop closures, more unmanned sites/pumps and more self-serve kiosks in food service and retail,” he predicts.

Nevertheless, the likes of Ascona Group and Racetrack continue to invest in forecourt retail.

Ascona Group, which aims to deliver “world-class roadside retail destinations across the UK”, has just bought Five Mile Garage in Kingswells, located at a major junction of the Aberdeen Western Peripheral Route. The long-established Esso-branded operational petrol filling station was acquired on Ascona’s behalf by the Automotive and Roadside team at Graham + Sibbald and marks Ascona’s 69th site.

Manoj Tugnait, Property Director for Ascona Group, says: “Five Mile Garage is a strategically located, long-established forecourt that aligns perfectly with Ascona’s growth strategy in Scotland and across the UK. In addition to the petrol filling station, the acquisition includes a well-established MOT garage and caravan park business, further strengthening the site’s operational diversity and long-term potential.”

With this acquisition, Ascona now operates eight sites in Scotland, and Tugnait claims that further acquisitions are already in the pipeline for 2026.

Steve Rodell, Managing Director – Retail & Leisure at property experts Christie & Co, claims that the roadside retail environment is undergoing “a significant transformation, with traditional petrol filling stations being reimagined into multi-purpose forecourt destinations”, according to the group’s Business Outlook 2026.

He claims that larger plots are being redeveloped to include an enhanced convenience offering, including franchised coffee, food-to-go and wellness-oriented products that resonate with Gen Z consumers.

He also observes how the rise of social media-driven footfall, particularly through platforms like TikTok and Instagram, is influencing design and product mix, creating experiential forecourts that go beyond fuel.

The Racetrack forecourt chain in Glasgow certainly goes above and beyond fuel. The Sud family’s award-winning stores create a treat for the senses with modern fixtures, digital screens and coloured lighting, plus a vast array of unusual desserts, slush and ice cream under its Tubbees brand. The chain boasts over 90 slush varieties with flavours inspired by Drumstick sweets, Twister lollies and cocktails including Pina Colada and Pornstar Martini to name but a few, while the bakery offer includes trendy cronut-style pastries (croissant and doughnut hybrids) and cookie pies flavoured with Kinder and Biscoff, plus innovative Cake in a Jar.

One of the latest Tubbees creations is the Spaghetti Crepe – ribbons of crepe topped with a range of goodies from chocolate sauce to smarties – which is inspired by online trends and customer requests. “What makes Tubbees exciting is being able to keep things fresh,” says Tubbees Brand Manager Rits Sud. “We’re always working on new products that give customers something different every time they walk through the door.”

Not only do the Racetrack team regularly post about new products and deals on social media, but the shops have also racked up tens of thousands of likes from Gen-Z TikTok users as young people take their social media followers on video tours of the quirky venue, thus helping to spread the word even further.

The Sud family are currently completing work on their 12th store, which promises “an evolution of our convenience offer”, delivering “a true wow experience for our customers”. We can’t wait to see what they come up with!