Certas Energy buys North East forecourt portfolio

The portfolio of forecourts, with a combined volume of 31million litres, was purchased from Marla and Gus Saggu. They bring the company-owned estate to 84 sites.

The portfolio of forecourts located across the North East of England originally formed part of Bishop Retail, which was acquired by Marla and Gus Saggu in 2012. The sites will be rebranded to Gulf in March, while simultaneously transforming each shop into the latest-design Spar store.

Richard Billington, retail managing director at Certas Energy, said: “It’s a good fit for our business and adds further strength to our company-operation. We already have a strong Gulf presence in the North East and these sites will be an ideal complement to our thriving dealer operation.

“We are taking on a healthy business that will be further enhanced by our stunning new Gulf livery and award-winning loyalty platform Oomph. Working alongside Spar and with ongoing investment, we expect to see huge potential at each location.”

Andy Birnie, director in Christie & Co’s north retail team, added: “This instruction attracted buyers from across the UK to the North East – a variation from previous years and something which we attribute to the limited supply of forecourts which are available to buy at present.”