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Ceylon service station transformed into SPAR site with £1.5m rebuild

Ceylon service station transformed into SPAR site with £1.5m rebuild

Family-run forecourt business AY&Y Patel Dewsbury Ltd has transformed its Ceylon service station in Rochdale with a £1.5 million complete knockdown rebuild.

Located in Yorkshire Street, the site has been in the family business for almost 35 years and now has an expanded brand-new SPAR store, serviced by James Hall & Co. Ltd, and a modernised Shell forecourt.


The four-month project has created a bright and airy SPAR store that belies its 1,230sq.ft. size. Highlights are a Fanta Frozen machine and chai and coffee units complementing a strong range of products across all categories with Food To Go including the SPAR Meal Deal.

The Shell forecourt features include six pumps, with V-Power fuel options, an air and water machine, ATM, and new signage.

Shaheena Patel, Operations Manager at AY&Y Patel Dewsbury Ltd, said, “Our Ceylon service station is something of a family favourite being one of our earliest sites and we are thrilled with the results of the rebuild.

“During the transformation, we removed the old car wash at the back of the site to increase the sales space in the new SPAR store which felt was the right direction to go. Visually the store is fantastic, and the range we have included utilises the space available to great effect.

“It is a similar story outside where we have maximised our compact forecourt with the number of pumps and services, also improving access in and around the forecourt for customers.

“Overall, we are delighted and are grateful for the support we have had from multiple departments at James Hall & Co. Ltd. Together we have set Ceylon service station up for a strong future.”

Peter Dodding, Sales Director at James Hall & Co. Ltd and Chair of the SPAR Northern Guild, said. “I am blown away by the changes at Ceylon service station and the Patel family should rightly be proud of what has been achieved at the site where space is at a premium.

“It is another shining example of an excellent working relationship between James Hall & Co. Ltd and AY&Y Patel Dewsbury Ltd, and there is no greater satisfaction for me than seeing our company support the development and growth of our independent SPAR retailers.”

James Hall & Co. Ltd is a fifth-generation family business which serves a network of independent SPAR retailers and company-owned SPAR stores across Northern England six days a week from its base at Bowland View in Preston.

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