JET has welcomed all three sites in the Gill Marsh Forecourts Limited portfolio into its network, after moving quickly to provide alternative supplies to the business following the Prax liquidation announcement in June 2025.The three Lincolnshire forecourts – Bilsby Filling Station, Partney Filling Station and Ulceby Cross – officially joined the JET network on 27 April 2026 as JET branded sites.
For Tom Dant, Managing Director of Gill Marsh Forecourts Limited, the move to the JET brand was shaped by both the speed of JET’s response and the strength of the relationship that followed.
“JET was the first supplier to contact us after the Prax liquidation announcement, and we had a meeting the very next day,” said Dant. “It was a ‘try before you buy’! It went smoothly and there was no reason to go elsewhere.”
While the three sites sit within around five miles of each other, each has been developed around a different customer need, reflecting Gill Marsh’s highly localised approach to forecourt retailing.
All three stores trade under the SPAR fascia and are supplied by A.F. Blakemore & Son Ltd. Across the portfolio, Gill Marsh has focused on building a differentiated convenience offer shaped by customer needs and feedback, site-by-site trialling and local insight, alongside Tom’s Kitchen, its own homemade food-to-go proposition using locally sourced produce.
That local focus runs through each forecourt. Bilsby Filling Station, the original site in the portfolio, operates more as a village shop proposition, serving an older local community with a Post Office, a 1,500 sq ft shop, a jet wash and products from local suppliers, including Lakings Butchers and Pocklington’s Bakery.
Partney Filling Station is the second busiest site on a coastal route to Skegness and carries a strong caravan range aimed at holidaymakers heading to the coast, alongside international drinks, world food lines and DoughGirl cookie pies.
Ulceby Cross, the portfolio’s flagship site, was expanded 18-months ago and now includes a 3,000 sq ft shop, indoor and outdoor seating, free Wi-Fi, air conditioning and a broader eat-in and food-to-go proposition built around Tom’s Kitchen, which is prepared on-site.
Ulceby Cross also offers four fuel grades, including JET ULTRA Diesel and JET ULTRA 99 Unleaded Premium Fuels. The site is due to add EV charging in mid-June, with one 180kW charger and one 50kW charger, further broadening its offer for motorists. The site combines food-to-go with a varied retail mix, including world-food lines, toys and seasonal products tailored to its coastal location.
Dant said: “Although the sites are close together, the customer base at each one is different, so we don’t take a one-size-fits-all approach. We keep testing, listening and adjusting – whether that’s through local suppliers, world food ranges, specialist products or our Tom’s Kitchen offer – so each site reflects the customers and community it serves.”
“The customer response has been phenomenal, with people now driving for miles just to shop our extensive world foods range or sample our ever-popular breakfast. We have transformed Ulceby Cross from a traditional fuel station with a small kiosk-style shop into a shopping destination in its own right that happens to sell fuel!”
Martin Smith, retail account manager, Phillips 66 Limited, said: “This is exactly the kind of relationship-led growth JET is focused on. We moved quickly, worked closely with Tom and kept the process straightforward at a time when the business needed clarity and support.
“What stands out with Gill Marsh is the strength of the local retail thinking behind the portfolio. These are three nearby sites, but each has its own role, customer base and retail proposition. That fits very naturally with JET’s approach – personal service, strong relationships and the flexibility to support dealers in ways that work for their businesses and the communities they serve.”
