From Shell to Surge: How a Rebrand Fuelled a 46% Sales Boost – and how reactive maintenance will keep it.

If you’re anything like me (or most of us here at AM Planned Maintenance), you’ve probably developed a weirdly fierce loyalty to your local petrol station. Whether it’s the “cheaper” prices, the “cleaner” shop, or just the familiar smile behind the counter—it becomes your go-to. So how did a petrol station in Maidstone manage to shake up that loyalty and boost its fuel sales by a staggering 46% almost overnight?

Enter JET Wateringbury Service Station, formerly a Shell site, has boosted its daily fuel sales from 6,500 to a whopping 9,500 litres through a powerful combo of rebranding and customer experience upgrades, and will keep it through a dedication to (you guessed it) planned and reactive maintenance.

So, what changed?

Well, quite a bit. The station didn’t just swap out the signage. They rolled out a full upgrade, including: Competitive fuel pricing, a shiny new Londis store full of deals, Costa coffee on tap and fresh hot food-to-go options.

It’s a masterclass in how to turn a pit stop into a full-blown destination; and clearly, it worked. It’s proof that customers are more than willing to try something new—if the experience is better.

But here’s the flip side: it’s also a wake-up call. If you can tempt loyal customers away from you competitors – your competitors can do the same. Brand loyalty once broken, can be easily swayed and while the flashy upgrades steal the spotlight, let’s not forget what keeps the engine running: effective property maintenance – including both reactive maintenance and planned maintenance. Behind every successful rebrand is a crew ensuring that coffee machines don’t break, lighting stays bright, and shop floors remain spotless. Unfortunately, it’s a fact of life that in a high traffic location such as a forecourt, things break. If the broken part is mission critical, it’s not just an inconvenience—it’s an open invitation for your customers to head to the competition. This is where swift reactive maintenance is key to limiting the damage done by breakdowns and customers engaged happy and away from the competition.

It is also equally as important to plan the next set of upgrades – what the Jet revamp has essentially done is give all of its competitors a blueprint of how to win back their fickle customers. As their competitors react and start to improve their own forecourts, Jet’s hard-won edge will be gradually reduced. If Jet wants to stay ahead they can’t stand still but constantly need to keep improving, the best way to do this is through clever and continuous upgrade work. However, this upgrade work can only take place if everything is running smoothly; if you are spending your time and budget reacting to problems you can’t upgrade. The best way to keep reactive maintenance down is planned maintenance and regular handyman services.

At AM Planned Maintenance, we’re your one-stop shop for all things property maintenance—combining fast, reliable reactive support with strategic property maintenance and regular handyman services to keep your business running smoothly, safely, and stress-free.