Food, drink sales double for MPK Garages following Nisa switch

MPK Garages, one of the largest forecourt operators, has seen food and drink sales double since joining Nisa. MPK Garages joined Nisa in order to grow its presence in the forecourt sub-sector of the convenience market, and switched its 28 forecourt stores to Nisa over the summer.

The forecourt operator runs sites in the Midlands, Yorkshire, the Northeast, Oxfordshire, and the Southwest, all supplied by Essar, Gulf or Texaco.

MPK has seen an increase in sales following the installation of its Pop-In Daily refit. The refit has so far led to grocery turnover doubling, with fuel sales up 5.5 per cent after three weeks. The Co-op brand, accessible through Nisa, has been central to each store, complementing locally supplied products which typically make up 3-7% of each store’s turnover.

The 1,800 sq.ft. dual-branded Dordon store is the latest in the Pop-In Daily chain to adopt the Nisa signage, in a £400,000 refit at the end of August. The brand has enabled the store to extend its chilled offer to 12 metres, with a broader range of ready meals, meal components and snacks.

Retail Director at MPK, Wayne Harrand, said since switching, the food and drink range, which includes three doors of frozen, has trebled in size, “Joining forces with Nisa has also enabled our 24-hour store to build on its ‘Everything to keep you going’ strapline, making the range more relevant to the growing local community as well as passing motorists, HGV drivers and workers at the nearby industrial estate”.

“Because we have a lot of shift workers commuting to the industrial estate, chilled snacking and meal deals needed to be in the front area of the store,” added Wayne.

“We also needed to have a good selection of confectionery, stocking the top 25 lines for transient traffic, with plenty of chocolate pouches, chewing gum and chewing sweets, as well as 15 different energy drinks.”

To encourage destination trips to the store, there is an Evri parcel collection and drop off service, a PayZone terminal for bill payment and a craft beer section, as well as a six-door display of chilled alcohol.

Victoria Lockie, Head of Retail at Nisa, said, “MPK Garages are a fantastic forecourt retailer and have been brilliant to work with since joining Nisa. They have a clear vision for their stores and I’m so proud that Nisa is able to give businesses like MPK the partnership they need to succeed.”