Ascona Group snaps up four new forecourts

Four more forecourts have been bought by Ascona Group - including one of the closest to its Humber Bank petrol producer Phillips 66.

Three sites in Lincolnshire are complemented by a North East site, taking the total to 55 across the UK. Jet-brandeed Luxmore East and Luxmore West straddle the A180, which links Grimsby and Scunthorpe immediately south of the huge Humber refinery Ascona recently strengthened ties with. Wragby road in central Lincoln and Foxcover in Sunderland complete the acquisitions. Ascona chief executive Darren Briggs, a former Total UK executive who founded the company a decade ago with two sites, said: “We are delighted to add these forecourts to our growing portfolio, and are actively seeking to acquire more sites across the North of England to firmly establish an Ascona presence in the region.

“With 55 sites so far, we are on track to achieving our ambitious goal to be one of the top three independent fuel retailers in the UK market. our rapid expansion is a testament to our hardworking team, and demonstrates the sizeable opportunity for both organic and acquisitive growth in the market.” Lincolnshire links are also tied in with the convenience brand, having adopted Nisa. All four will feature them, with a five-year agreement in place with Jet. Mr Briggs added: “With these recent acquisitions, Ascona is on target to reach its ambition of growing to 60 sites by the end of April, and 300 sites in the next five years.”