BIGGER AND BETTER

9 January 2009


A bright new Budgens store and extended Esso forecourt has been unveiled by Cosford Garage on the A41 just outside the Shropshire village of Albrighton, following a massive £1.5m investment by Bupa and Lata Gohil and their son Jay.

Captain David Elford, deputy chief commander of RAF Cosford which is opposite the site, cut the ribbon and local schoolchildren sang to herald the event.  

The former BP site, which had had a tiny store supplied by Palmer & Harvey, was knocked down and completely rebuilt with the family trading from a portakabin leading up to the reopening. Turnover then was around £1K a week on news, tobacco and confectionery. Now it is estimated to reach £30k a week and Jay Gohil thinks this is conservative. “I hope to reach £50K a week in peak times,” he says.

Fuel sales, previously 4 million litres per annum, are projected to reach 10 million.

“The store is now four times bigger at 2,887 sq ft,” says Jay, “and we are offering fresh produce, 12 linear metres of alcohol and hot and cold food to go – a full shopping experience – it’s our intention to be the hub of the community. I live only five miles from here and I know you cannot get milk after 10pm. We are providing a 24-hour service so there’s no need for locals to drive to Telford or Wolverhampton.”

He does not regard the NAAFI store within the camp as competition as it shuts at 6pm.
 

There is also the attraction of the forecourt, which has tripled in size and which now has seven pumps rather than five, an air and water machine, a jet wash, parking for 20 cars and a dedicated HGV lane to separate the trucks from the cars.
 
The family has run forecourts for more than 25 years but the enlarged store represents a new venture. “We chose Budgens as our supplier because it is the only brand that supplies such fresh goods to independents and also offers great back up and service plus a trusted brand. We are more than 100% pleased with the result.”
 

The family is ably assisted by the store’s manager Chris Layland who was previously a corporate manager for Budgens.
 

In addition to all the new services the store still offers a wide selection of news and magazines, the National Lottery, Payzone utilities payments facilities and mobile telephone top-ups.



For further information please contact:

Rosie McFarlane
PR Manager
Musgrave Retail Partners GB
Office: 0870 084 6804

Rosie.Mcfarlane@musgrave.co.uk