Jet has strengthened its presence in the north of Scotland with West End Filling Station in Dingwall joining the fuel brand’s network.

Highland Fuels, a Jet Approved Partner in Scotland, has won the contract to supply Phillips 66 fuels to the 2.4mlpa site, using the Jet brand under licence from Phillips 66.

West End Filling Station is owned by independent dealers, Elaine Houston and Steve Cunningham, who took over the site in 2006 and also own Bridgend Service Station in Fife. West End is located on Strathpeffer Road, one of the main routes in and out of Dingwall and not far from the town centre, industrial premises and housing.

Since joining the Jet network in early November, the forecourt has been fully re-imaged in the latest Jet brand and had a range of forecourt design improvements to create a safe, friendly and welcoming environment for customers.

The 19-nozzle forecourt and 2,000sq feet Mace-branded convenience store attract a steady stream of customers and commuters from Dingwall and the surrounding areas between the hours of 5.30am through to 10pm each day. The forecourt also experiences a marked uplift in footfall during the summer months with tourists visiting the Scottish Highlands.

On-site facilities include two jet washes, Paypoint, Lottery, a cash point and two Costa coffee machines. The site also has a food-to-go offering and an extensive alcohol selection, with a wide range of malt whiskies and Scottish gins.

When West End’s supply contract for was up for renewal, both Elaine and Steve were impressed with the package and level of customer service offered by Highland Fuels. They also recognised the impact that having the Jet brand on the forecourt could have in attracting forecourt footfall.

Steve commented: “The Jet brand is well known in the area and we really liked their new image. Due to the layout of our forecourt, we can only accommodate smaller tankers so the option to have Phillips 66 fuels delivered by Highland Fuels’ smaller tankers to a Jet-branded forecourt was the ideal solution for West End. We also get the added bonus of being able to offer our customers Jet Ultra Premium Unleaded fuel, which is proving very popular.

“We’re up against tough local competition, with a large Tesco store and forecourt in the town centre, but with the Jet brand now in place, I’m confident that we will attract more customers than ever before. Customer feedback has been very positive and the impact the new Jet image has had on the site’s appearance can’t be underestimated. It’s now a sleek, modern-looking forecourt and I’m excited to see what the future holds with the new supply contract in place.”

Highland Fuels now owns and operates 15 forecourts across Scotland, three of which are Jet-branded. The company also supplies dealer sites across Scotland under the Thames and Highland Fuels brands.

Pamela Maclean, sales director at Highland Fuels, commented: “West End Filling Station is a great addition to our portfolio of Jet-branded sites. The site is in a fantastic location and we are excited to work with Steve, Elaine and their Dingwall team. We continue to expand our presence in the Scottish retail sector, offering the Jet, Highland and Thames brands. We are a small team which means we offer our dealers a personal service on a day-to-day basis. Our ethos is ‘big enough to deliver, small enough to care’.”

Paul Yates, Jet’s retail account manager for Scotland, added: “We’re delighted to have another Jet-branded site in the Highlands. West End Filling Station takes our total number of sites in this region of Scotland alone to five, which is impressive given that it is one of the most sparsely populated areas of the country. With around 50 independently owned Jet-branded forecourts throughout Scotland and another addition to be announced early in the new year, it’s a very exciting time for our Scottish network.”