Vanishing Shell garages
 

Okay a little local for the forum maybe but I live in Eastbourne and the nearest Optimax supplier was a 20 mile round trip away. Now that shut this week and its more like twice the distance to the nearest. Eastbourne not the Isle of Skye for *****sake!

Is this a national trend?
Worth a SN petition? Shell themselves haven't replied to my e mail :(

Esso SUL then?

thanks

just had a shell and esso close near me , however still others near....

Just means i have to fill up when passing now rather than when light goes on :D

Have a similar problem with distance to nearest shell garage when im visiting my parents in Cornwall, 24 mile round trip for optimax. Used to be one 4 miles away but it closed down about 2years ago. stuck with tesco or safeway fuel if i dont do the 24mile drive.

Isn't this due to the smaller garages having to shut down due to some EU regulation on the size of their fuel storage tanks ??

We went down to Cornwall from North Lincs last week. Seems there are more Shell Optimax garages that way on than there are up here!

Luckily we have a good one within 3 miles so its not too much of a problem.

I know the Lincoln guys have suffered for months as their's was closed for refurbishment. I seem to think they did complain to Shell. My advice is put your complaint in writing, e mails are easy to ignore!

J

Iv got about a 30mile trip to get Optimax.....

Anyone know if its worth useing Octane booster with Esso SUL???

I have noticed that theres more & more BP stations opening, i have only a 4 mile round trip for my optimax, but when i am out & about i dont see many shell garage.

sti-04!!

Zoton

Yes the Golden Cross Shell switching to BP is a right pain in the arse.

You can find the other Shell garages on

This Link For Shell Garages

:( shell garage at the end of our road has now become a BP, they don't even sell ultimate.

..... None of which answers Zoton's question..... Is there a national trend here ( a local smallish one at Hadlow in Kent has gone, too)? Anyone got the contacts/knowledge to find out??

Phil
(1/4 mile from my Optimax :D)

Ive seen my 2nd local shell petrol station being boarded up last week, whether is getting a refurb or its going to be shut down I dont no?
But lucky for me theres one 500 yards from my house, otherwise its a 20 mile round trip to the next shell station.

One down the road from my work in Edinburgh city centre has recently shut down, boarded up etc but it did not sell optimax anyway. I have two local ones about 200 yards from each other and both sell Optimax.

The assistant in the shop said that Shell were buying out a lot of the independant Shell garages, updating the forecourt and then re-opening (like one of my local ones).

Better off using diesel than some garages standard UL i think!!!!!!! Lol. :)

The Shell station local to us in Whitehaven has transferred to Texaco last week. Luckily there is a BP even closer which does Ultimate, but I'd rather use Optimax.

There's a big-un over hear in Hastings if you get desperated...in Bohemia Road, just up from the cop shop...:)

Our local Shell one transferred to Texaco last November. The owner muttered something about Shell wanting to put their resources into sites with a higher turnover, so he was given notice by them..... :(

Yep the one about 2 miles from me changed to Texaco.

Next nearest is 13 miles away. :(

I've just spent a few days on the Isle of wight, i dont think there's any optimax over there, and i didn't see any SUL either. So if you're off over there make sure you fill up on the mainland before you go. I saw loads of Shell garages around Southamton/New forest, at a good price too.

My local one has just changed to a Gulf, although having quizzed the staff there they are still selling shell fuels badged as their own, so their "super" is in fact Optimax :) I'm fairly lucky in that there is another shell garage nearby to my work (it only adds about 10-15 mins to my trip home) but I know from my travels around the country that there really does appear to be a shortage of Shell stations around the country. Does anyone know if they are having problems?

Shell are not having problems infact they now are number one for market share in the UK and they are just re structuring the network just like most oil companys at present i.e Texaco. A hell of alot of fuel stations are closing down country wide in places where you would expect the site to do well but due to the aggressive pricing by competitors they are closing down, although i am not saying this is the reason for your local Shells shutting.

I run 2 franchises with shell and the above is just my view on whats happening not that of Shell itself

The Shell garage in Windermere has been converted to (I think) Gulf, I was too shocked that it wasn't Shell any more to take it in fully. I'm now using BP Ultimate from Ambleside (just as good IMHO but a bit dearer :( )

I went to use the Shell garage on Leeds Road in Harrogate during an occasional trip north - and it had gone. There is another Shell garage on the other side of town, but it's still very incovenient...