Inside the Budgens store at the Shell petrol station at Boship, on the A22 at the beginning of the Hailsham bypass. It’s a fairly cramped forecourt, but a tidy one. Unfortunately there seemed to be a significant smell of drains, which was extremely off-putting. The toilet facilities, although recently refurbished, were also very busy & unclean. Boship roundabout was constructed in the 1950s & as soon as it was, plans were being developed to build some facilities next to it. The site eventually opened in 1990 as a tourist information centre, motel, Little Chef restaurant and Total petrol station. The petrol station was branded as such until late 2012, when Total were collapsing and the garage was sold to Shell, causing it to be rebranded. The small size of the forecourt meant Shell rebuilt it in 2012 and it opened with their own-brand “Select” store. In 2018, the Select store was rebranded to Budgens. Budgens provides various facilities, such as a “Cook” range of foods, Deli by Shell & Costa Express machines. There are also EV charging points at this forecourt. I rarely take pics inside forecourts, but I often do at A-Road rest areas as the facilities on offer are quite limited. Budgens have become a common sight in petrol station forecourts due to their ownership. They are owned by the Booker group (which is now owned by Tesco) and since Booker partnered with MFG, Budgens have replaced the likes of Londis/Hursts in many filling stations. Before this, Budgens were fairly rare to come across & there used to be a Budgens at Blackburn services on the M65, however this was only open between 2016-2017. Fuel prices are quite expensive at Boship, but this is due to its location on the busy A22 route and knowing that their fuel will be in high demand. Food prices in Budgens are also inflated, but given this is the only grocery shop at Boship, customers have no where else to choose from so will pay the inflated prices for food/drink in this forecourt. The forecourt was empty during my visit (apart from the toilets). This is due to the early time of visit. Had I visited later in the day, it would seem much more crowded. Shell or Budgens aren't specifically signposted from the A22 in either direction, but the roadside signposts for Boship include a fuel symbol, so customers understand they can refill/recharge their vehicles here.

Photo taken on 12/08/2024 by Tom Moon.

Assigned to galleries: Boship, A22, Shell, Budgens