Wildstone, the leading owner of outdoor media infrastructure across the UK and Europe, has announced plans to begin the digitisation of hundreds of classic out-of-home assets as part of a strategic partnership agreement with Motor Fuel Group (MFG), the UK’s largest independent forecourt provider.
MFG operates more than 1,200 petrol stations across the UK and is the nation’s fifth-largest retailer by number of stores, having completed a £2.5bn acquisition of 337 Morrisons petrol stations in April 2024.
After a highly competitive tender process, Wildstone has now been selected as MFG’s exclusive partner for the digitisation of both large and small format DOOH on its roadside estate, including the Morrisons portfolio.
The new deal follows on from the success of the initial 25-year agreement signed between the parties in May 2024, when Wildstone secured the contract to install DOOH assets across MFG’s undeveloped estate.
The first new digital six-sheet (D6) screen went live in October 2024, and since then a further 252 D6s have been installed. The rollout of new digital screens will continue alongside the digitisation of classic assets.
The agreement represented Wildstone’s first partnership with a major forecourt provider and has enabled the group to build upon its existing portfolio of more than 3,000 OOH assets across the UK.
Wildstone has partnered with media owner i-media, a leader in motorway Out of Home advertising, to operate the screens – the first deal between the two companies. i-media already operates over 1000 D6 and D48 screens across the UK and is now the media operator for all Wildstone D6 screens across the MFG network.
Wildstone is wholly responsible for the delivery of the MFG project, including screen design, planning applications, build, legals, installation and maintenance, ensuring i-media is delivered a fully turnkey network.
Danielle Finch, business development director at Wildstone, said: “Our partnership with MFG marks a landmark moment for Wildstone and has allowed us to further diversify our asset base across the UK. We are delighted to secure this unique opportunity to partner with a group of MFG’s calibre and scale, and to have navigated a complex process to deliver an industry-leading network for our media partner i-media. The first stage of our partnership has been extremely successful, delivering outstanding results for all parties, and we’re excited to continue this progress with the digitisation of MFG’s existing OOH assets alongside their recently acquired Morrisons portfolio.”
Tom Butcher, estates manager, Motor Fuel Group said: “Wildstone has exceeded expectations in creating a new revenue stream for MFG. The digital screens strengthen our visual brand and allow us to advertise our marketing messages across the digital network. The Wildstone team made the process extremely simple for us, working closely with our internal teams to ensure smooth delivery and rapid rollout of the network. We’re excited to expand the partnership by integrating and digitising our existing OOH assets to future-proof our forecourts with the latest technology.”
Phil Diamond, operations director, i-media, said: “The Wildstone partnership supports the continued expansion of our nationwide D6 network. The MFG estate provides a strong addition of high-quality digital assets within forecourt locations to further enhance our existing portfolio.”
