Sainsbury's has signed an agreement to sell and transfer the operation of its eight petrol stations in Northern Ireland.
As part of the deal, the buyer, operating under the trading name Go Forecourts, will invest significantly in the sites, modernising the existing forecourts and converting them into self-service pay-at-pump petrol stations.
Upgrade and modernisation plans
Caroline Holroyde, Sainsbury's director of petrol and kiosk, said: “This agreement represents a major opportunity to upgrade and modernise these sites with the investment that the acquisition will bring.
“Over the coming months, we will prepare for our petrol stations in Northern Ireland to transfer to the new owner. In the meantime, they will continue to operate as normal for customers. We're pleased to confirm that all affected colleagues will remain employed by Sainsbury's at nearby stores and we are not proposing any redundancies as part of today's announcement.
“We believe this deal represents the best possible outcome for our petrol station estate in Northern Ireland.”
Transfer timeline and buyer details
Following the signing of the agreement today, both parties will work through the additional steps required to enable the petrol stations to start transferring. Sainsbury's expects this process to happen gradually on a site-by-site basis, with all transfers planned to be completed over the next six to 12 months.
Go Forecourts is part of fuel and energy business LCC Group, which is owned by the Loughran family and based near Cookstown, County Tyrone. Go already has 26 sites in Northern Ireland and five in England, with another proposed for Manchester.
