spar and jet garage forecourt

Spar and forecourt operator Jet have teamed up to launch their first dual-branded store.

The businesses launched a new convenience sector partnership in April and opened the first site on 14 August in Scotland.

The Jet and Spar store in Maybole, South Ayrshire, has undergone significant refurbishment to be quadrupled in size. The 4,000 sq ft store now features a 12-nozzle fuel capability, a post office, National Lottery and Costa coffee facilities. “Running this size of store, we needed guidance and Spar has really helped us throughout the redevelopment process. We were keen to develop our forecourt offering to establish a modern shop within the town centre. We required a support package for this scenario and the obvious choice for me was to join Spar.” said store owner Brian Connelly.

“When Spar announced an interest in branding within the forecourt market this seemed perfect timing. We have been a Jet customer for seven years and when the Jet/Spar agreement was announced this was the perfect solution for us.”

Spar and Jet are currently in discussions with other potential retailers, and the store in Maybole is set to be the first of many dual-branded sites.

“Thanks to the new partnership with Jet, we’re likely to see Spar’s presence on forecourts increase considerably in the future as more and more dealers see the benefits of partnering with two leading retail brands,” said Bill Mair, sales director for CJ Lang & Son, Spar’s Scottish wholesaler. Jet is in partnership with a number of symbol groups for dual brand stores. The Maybole site had been previously dually branded with the Premier symbol group. “We believe that this partnership offers our existing dealer network - and any new sites that join - an opportunity to strengthen their own unique retail offering by combining two well-established and respected retail brands. We’re already in discussions with a number of our existing and prospective dealers who have expressed an interest in moving to dual branding.” said Jet territory manager for Scotland Paul Yates.