Parfetts has opened its first Shop & Go convenience store in the south of England with the launch of a new forecourt site in Gosport, Hampshire.
The store marks a key milestone for the employee-owned wholesaler and is the first Shop & Go outlet to be supplied from its Southampton depot.
The petrol filling station, operated by experienced retailer Muresh Seevaratnam, has undergone an extensive £250k refurbishment following its conversion from Premier, alongside a move to Jet fuel. Early trading has been strong, with both fuel and shop sales up on the previous format, and customer feedback described as very positive across the range, pricing, and availability.
Since switching to Shop & Go, Muresh has strengthened margins, driven by hot-food sales and higher-value categories such as wine and spirits.
Shop & Go is Parfetts’ latest symbol format, developed in response to growing demand for stores that cater for shoppers on the move. Designed for forecourts, commuter locations, and high-footfall areas, the format focuses on impulse and distress purchases, confectionery, snacks and soft drinks, alongside food to go, beers, wines and spirits, and specialist ranges such as car care and maintenance.
The Gosport opening is the latest addition to the network of 23 Shop & Go stores nationwide, with over 40 new stores planned to launch over the next 12 months. The move also strengthens Parfetts presence in the south of England, following the opening of its Southampton depot last year and continued growth across its symbol estate, which now includes more than 1,660 retailers.
The first Shop & Go launch in the south follows a series of major developments for Parfetts in the region, including the recent openings of the first Go Local Extra stores in Portsmouth and Southampton, as well as the opening of its 113,000 sq ft cash-and-carry depot in Southampton. The depot supplies retailers across the south of England under the Go Local, Go Local Extra, The Local and Shop & Go fascias, and forms a key part of Parfetts’ strategy to expand its reach beyond its northern heartland.
Muresh Seevaratnam, who now operates six Parfetts supplied stores, including five Shop & Go forecourts and a Go Local Extra in South Wales, said the new format was a natural fit for a busy forecourt location: “The Shop & Go format is ideal for a petrol filling station where customers want speed, choice and value. We have a wide variety of products on offer, and the response has been really encouraging. The food-to-go range has been particularly popular, along with complete meal solutions such as the Praveen Kumar Indian meals. Competitive fuel pricing is also helping to drive footfall into the store.
“Parfetts has a strong reputation for backing its retailers and treating each business individually, and I really value the freedom that provides me with, after 25 years in the retail sector. That support, combined with a busy promotional programme, gives me confidence as I continue to look for new sites.”
Guy Swindell, joint managing director of Parfetts, said the Gosport store demonstrates how the format works across different regions and store types: “Shop & Go is designed for transient locations with time-sensitive shoppers, from forecourts to commuter hubs. This is our first Shop & Go in the south, a strategic growth area for us in 2026, and it’s great to see it supplied directly from our new Southampton depot. We developed the format in response to retailer demand and the whole team has worked hard to create something that brings real value, strong margins and a clear point of difference.”
Parfetts continues to grow rapidly across the UK, with Shop and Go joining Go Local, Go Local Extra and The Local as part of its evolving symbol offer.
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