Euro Garages Reinvents Petrol Stations
Two brothers had a vision of a “forecourt convenience retail” when they bought their first gas station.
Feb 13, 2019
BURY, Lancashire, England – When Zuber and Mohsin Issa bought their first gas station, they envisioned something more than pumps—they saw it could become a “forecourt convenience retail” outlet, The Economist reports.
Today, Euro Garages has opened 380 locations in England, and since 2016, has purchased thousands more locations in Germany, Belgium, Italy, France and the Netherlands, writes the news source. In addition, the company has expanded into the United States with a purchase last year of nearly 1,000 locations, and another 560 in Australia. It reported $26 billion in revenue in Britain in 2018.
The secret to their success has been their willingness to make changes. For example, the Issas made sure all fuel types could be accessed from the same pump, as well as adding forecourt lights for more security. They put in grocery stores and fast-food chains to create shopping destinations beyond filling up at the pump. Those changes means Euro Garage makes around two-thirds of its income from fast-food and shops, rather than fuel sales.
Other United Kingdom retailers have noticed and have implemented a similar approach, such as Ireland’s Applegreen and Motor Fuel Group, which is adding post offices to its convenience stores.
Will Euro Garages continue to expand at the same rate as in recent years? Chris Noice with the Association of Convenience Stores says that in America, the brothers will have more land to enlarge its business model. In Europe, Noice pointed out that Euro Garages will need to “tailor their offer” to meet the demand of locals, which will differ widely between Italy and Germany, for example.
Euro Garages received the 2016 NACS Insight European Convenience Industry Leader of the Year. Read more about why NACS honored the company here.
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