EG Group

EG Group

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Locations:	1 MSA as an operator; 3 motorway forecourts; much more
Often accompanied by:	BP, Esso, Shell, SPAR, Asda on the Move, Burger King, EG Diner, Greggs, Little Chef, Starbucks, Subway, Starbucks on the Go, Sainsbury's On the go
Predecessors:	Little Chef, various forecourts
Successors:	Asda Express
Head office address:	EG Group Headquarters Euro House Waterside Haslingden Road Blackburn BB1 2FA [map]
Phone number:	01254 582111
See also:	Applegreen, MFG

Official Website:
www.eg.group
Twitter/X: @TheEGGroup

Throughout the 2010s, the growth of Euro Garages has been phenomenal, with a portfolio which has grown to include hundreds of petrol stations and restaurants, one motorway service area, and a wide range of partner brands.

Euro Garages merged with EFR Group in 2016, creating EG Group, a brand name which has been introduced to their catering areas. EG Group is now the UK's largest operator of KFC, Greggs and Starbucks franchises.

The wider business has continued to grow, acquiring thousands of petrol stations around the world, as well as taking over established brands such as Asda. Accounts of the success of EG Group rarely mention that its growth was funded by a loan from the founders' previous business, Europlast, or that EG Group reached debt of £7.3 billion in 2019. Strictly speaking, we should add that there is nothing to suggest that this is going to be a problem.

Meanwhile, we do know that Europlast has a poor health and safety record, although this is a separate business.

EG Group's founders were nominated for MBEs in October 2020. They themselves are involved in a number of businesses, and EG Group now has long-reaching arms which included operating restaurants like Leon and Asda supermarkets. The brothers are reported to donate 2.5% of their wealth every year to charity and their Issa Foundation supports local hospitals and deprived schoolchildren.

Asda's forecourts were supposed to be transferred to EG Group, but this decision was reversed in October 2021, apparently as new information had come to light. It was announced in May 2023 that Asda would become the parent of EG Group, turning Asda into a foodservice mega-brand, with their chairman calling it "a consumer champion like the UK has never seen". The GMB union said it was about "using ASDA as a cash cow to pay off their debts". All but 31 locations are expected to carry the Asda brand, with the remaining sites likely to be branded EG On the Move.

Another potential merger came to light in 2022, as talks were reported with Couche-Tard, who operate the fuel, food and shopping brand Circle K.

Company History

Euro Garages were founded in 2001 by the Issa family, with a single petrol forecourt in Bury. Since then the company has expanded rapidly, usually by taking over struggling, under-performing petrol stations and redeveloping them to provide additional retail facilities (with various franchise partners including SPAR, Subway, Greggs and Starbucks), in so turning around their fortunes.

One of their biggest early projects was the former Bolton West services, which was rebuilt to provide two large, new buildings.

It was announced between April 2013 and September 2015 that Euro Garages had purchased around 300 corporate filling stations from Esso and Shell. Euro Garages added a selection of their partner brands to these sites as part of their investment plan, which caused a bit of public controversy as some people preferred Esso's Costa offering and Shell's Deli2go over Euro Garages' new food partners Greggs and Subway.

Euro Garages were the first operator to introduce Starbucks on the Go into their filling stations, replacing Coffee Nation in June 2013.

Recently EG Group have been involved in a number of developments next to busy motorway junctions, including Markham Vale on the M1 and Frontier Park by the M65. These are often part of what are known as 'New-to-Industry' sites. Most of these aren't signed from the motorway (which would bound them by more regulations), but instead they rely on being highly visible. New government regulations, announced in 2022, would make it impossible to open any more sites like this unless there is a barrier between them and the motorway; it is still acceptable practise on A-roads.

Beyond Fuel

EG Group branding on the wall of one of their services, introduced in 2018.

Euro Garages' strategy continued, taking in large services such as Monmouth, including its lodge. They purchased motorway forecourts from more established operators who wanted to focus on retail.

Euro Garages started building new Starbucks buildings, usually drive thrus. Mostly these were alongside petrol stations they already owned, but some were not.

In December 2016, it emerged that Euro Garages were looking to take over Little Chef, and they purchased it on 1 February 2017. Many of these restaurants were next to forecourts Euro Garages had already acquired. During a long refurbishment process the smaller restaurants became franchises such as Starbucks or KFC, while the larger ones were eventually converted to become several franchises under one roof, resembling a miniature version of some of the busiest service stations in the country.

Euro Garages generally advertise the brand names they operate more than their own name, but in 2018 this changed and prominent "EG Group" signage was fitted to many of their new restaurants. An all-black colour scheme was applied, possibly inspired by the corporate colours required at their Starbucks branches, but creating a visible EG Group corporate image for the first time.

A brief partnership with Sainsbury's to introduce Sainsbury's Local stores didn't work out, however Euro Garages later opened small Sainsbury's On the go stores under licence within some of their petrol stations and amenity buildings. In 2020, Asda announced that EG Group will be trialling 'Asda on the Move' stores in three petrol stations in the Midlands, which was eventually rolled out to many of their forecourts.

Further acquisitions took place in 2021, including Leon, which brings EG Group closer to the restaurant and supply sectors. Leon and Asda have since been spun off as a separate operation, while they intend to sell the KFC units back to KFC.

EG Group began rolling out 'EV Point' charging points in 2023. They later announced a partnership with Tesla that will allow them to roll these points out across their estate, including at sites that are now ASDA Express.

EG Group Services

EG Group operate a wide variety of petrol and catering facilities across the country. There is only one which is officially signed from the motorway network:

• Rivington (M61)
  

There is another large services close to the motorway network which resembles a service station, but is not signposted from the road (and therefore not regarded as official):

• Frontier Park (M65)
  

Supporting Facilities

The remaining lists show only services which are signposted from the road. These ones are operated by several companies, of which EG Group is one.

Supporting Restaurants

Unlike those above, EG Group do not provide the fuel at the following services, but they provide some catering alongside other operators' facilities.

• Acle (A47)
• Alfreton (A38)
• Ashby de la Zouch (A42)
• Balhaldie (A9) (southbound only)
• Bangor (A5/A55)
• Barton Stacey (A303) (westbound only)
• Battlefield (A49)
• Beccles (A143/A146)
• Beckington (A36)
• Bicester (A41)
• Bentley (A12) (southbound only)
• Boship (A22)
• Budbrooke (A46)
• Collin (A75)
• Dreghorn (A720)
• Dumbarton Gateway (A82) (north-westbound only)
• East Horndon (A127) (eastbound only)
• Ely (A10)
• Fairfield (A16)
• Family Farm (A34) (northbound only)
• Gristhwaite (A168) (northbound only)
• Hartlebury (A449)
• Hayle (A30)
• Heath (A617)
• Hickstead (A23)
• Kettering (A14) (westbound only)
• Kinmel Park (A55)
• Markham Vale (M1)
• Micheldever (A303) (eastbound only)
• Middlewich (A54)
• Monmouth (A40)
• Newmarket (A11/A14)
• Northop Hall (A55) (eastbound only)
• Oldbury (A419)
• Oval (M1)
• Pevensey (A27/A259)
• Popham (A303) (westbound only)
• Rhostyllen (A483)
• Rising Bridge (A56)
• Ross Spur (A449)
• Saughall (A494/M56)
• Shrewsbury (A5/A49)
• Stansted (A120)
• Thame (A418)
• Thanet Way (A299) (eastbound only)
• Tot Hill (A34)
• Towcester (A43)
• Uttoxeter (A50)
• Weyhill (A303)
• Whitchurch (A41)
• Willoughby Hedge (A303)
• Wisley (A3) (southbound only)
• Worksop (A57)

Former Locations

EG Group used to operate forecourts at the following official service areas, before they transferred to Asda:

• Ashby de la Zouch (A42)
• Bangor (A5/A55)
• Baynards Green (A43)
• Bicester (A41)
• Bickenhill (A45)
• Blyth (A1(M)/A1)
• Bothwell (M74)
• Browns Blue (A511) (eastbound only)
• Calcutt (A419) (northbound only)
• Canley Ford (A45)
• Cherwell Valley (M40/A43)
• Colsterworth (A1) (southbound only)
• Eye Green (A47)
• Folly Tower (A4042)
• Gowy (A51)
• Halt (A470)
• Hamilton (M74)
• Heath (A617) (eastbound only)
• Hogs Back (A31) (eastbound only)
• Mile End (A5)
• Nene Valley (A45)
• Nunney Catch (A361)
• Parkway (A57)
• Pont Abraham (M4)
• Rhostyllen (A483)
• Ross Spur (A449)
• Rothwell (A14) (eastbound only)
• Saughall (A494)
• Scotch Corner (A1(M)/A66)
• Shrewsbury (A5/A49)
• St Kew (A39)
• Stafford (M6) (southbound only)
• Strensham (M5) (northbound only)
• Tamworth (M42/A5)
• Uttoxeter (A50)
• Willoughby Hedge (A303)

Closed Services

EG Group used to operate at the following official service areas, before their facilities either closed or transferred to new owners:

• Crewe (M6/A500)
• Barton Mills South (A11)
• Beacon Hill (A14)
• Bilbrough (A64) (eastbound only)
• Brampton Hut (A1/A14)
• Carcroft (A1) (northbound only)
• Chippenham (A350)
• Cirencester (A417)
• Colsterworth (A1) (southbound only)
• Countess (A303)
• Feering (A11) (northbound only)
• Fontwell (A27/A29)
• Fourwentways (Abington) (A11)
• Ilminster (A303)
• Kettering eastbound (A14)
• Leicester Markfield (A511)
• Markham Moor (north) (A1)
• Marston Moretaine (A421)
• Mile End (A5)
• North Muskham (A1) (southbound only)
• Podimore (A303)
• Roundswell (A39)
• Rufus Stone (A31)
• Rustington (A259)
• Saltash (A38)
• Seaton Burn (A1/A19)
• Sleaford (A15/A17)
• Solstice (A303)
• Sourton Cross (A30)
• Sutterton (A16/A17)
• Thickthorn (A11/A47)
• Thorpe on the Hill (A46)
• Thrapston (A14/A45)
• Warminster (A36)
• Whitemare Pool (A194)

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