Nisa Sees Growth Opportunities In Forecourt Market

 Namnews, 29th January 2024

Nisa has highlighted the growth potential of its forecourt convenience estate after experiencing its strongest year of recruitment since 2018.

Speaking to trade magazine The Grocer, the symbol group’s Managing Director Peter Batt revealed that it had recruited 118 forecourt stores in 2023, expanding its reach to 410 sites overall.

He noted that Nisa was looking at ways to grow its forecourt proposition, including adding electric vehicle charging facilities, seating areas, and an improved food-to-go offering.

Batt said: “We’re looking to understand the petrol market forecourt market and what consumers are looking for. Our insight tells that growth at fuel sites is potentially higher than in a core convenience store, so we really believe that forecourts are a great opportunity for us.”

He told The Grocer that shop sales at forecourt sites had risen by 35% in the past five years. “Consumers will always need to fill up or charge up their car, and we can bolster that with a strong convenience offer and food-to-go range – which is our second-biggest growth category,” Batt added.

Last week, the Co-op revealed that it was targeting 400 more Nisa stores. To support these plans, Batt revealed that the business was looking at rewards, rebates or reducing surcharges in a bid to retain and recruit retailers. Nisa recently simplified its rebates to a model that is solely calculated on weekly order value.

Batt said Nisa was also considering ways of personalising loyalty rewards and potentially launching a cash & carry operation to offer greater access to the Co-op own-label range.

“We’ve done the hard work over the past 18 months of rebuilding both Nisa and the Co-op from a cost perspective, and now we’re going to be focusing on the growth trajectory towards 2030,” he concluded.

NAM Implications:

• Building on its current reach of 410 sites overall, with ambitions…
• …there could be opportunities for suppliers that come aboard now.
• Unless you want to wait until others act on the opportunity…