Former Forecourt Trader of the Year the Fraser Group has just opened its sixth forecourt and its first site with a Budgens store.

The BP-branded forecourt has a 2,950sq ft Budgens store, a Subway franchise – the second Subway in the Group’s network – along with a Post Office, an Aquatec-branded car wash and two jet washes.

The knock-down rebuild took two years in the planning and is situated on the A44 in the village of Yarnton between Oxford and Woodstock, just a few minutes from Blenheim Palace.

Robert Fraser – who operates the family business with brother Hugh, son Nick, operations manager Mark Wilson, and now Hugh’s son Jonathan, who has joined the family business to manage the new site – said the business was due to open at the start of December until snow halted the development for 10 days.

“We were due to open on December 2 but we had some issues and put the date back till December 8,” says Robert. “Then the snow came. All we needed was six days to complete the concrete and tarmac because we said that come what may we would open on December 16. God looked after us and gave us the six days.”

The Frasers worked with fellow retailer Guy Warner to design a smaller format of Guy’s Budgens stores in Gloucestershire. “It’s an unusual design,” said Robert. “Now the store is doing amazingly well and the Budgens brand has been well received by the locals.”