Popular Fife store officially reopened

Abbie, Stephen Gethins MP, Stephen, Elaine, Helen McDiarmid, and Cllr McDiarmid.

The BP Bridgend store was demolished last year and closed for nine months while a new petrol station was constructed.

The store, on the edge of Freuchie, has increased store space with more choice for its customers, new office space, improved facilities, and a Subway store. The store has also partnered up with SPAR.

The development has led to an increase in staff, up from six to around 20.

Elaine Houston, a director of the store, along with partner Stephen Cunningham, said customers are “expecting a lot more” when they stop.

“We had the old garage for eight years,” she continued. “We’ve had great support from the local community. It kept building up and building up.

“What we were missing out on was tourists coming into Fife. They were passing by. From the outside it doesn’t look very good. Now it does.

“We’ve increased our basket spend. People are impressed with the shop. It’s a lot better place to work in.

“The regular customers have been great. They’ve been desperate for us to open.

“People in the local area have had to travel a fair bit to get their fuel. We were missed.”

The petrol station is a part of the Freuchie community, featuring local events and news on its store pinboard, and sponsoring events at the local school. The station also has more than 1000 followers on its Facebook page.

Elaine’s daughter, Abbie, store manager, added: “We got messages on Facebook saying ‘we miss you’. It’s nice to hear. We appreciated it.”

The store had the support of long-time customer, Cllr David McDiarmid, who said: “I’ve been coming here forever. It’s great they’re back. I know the community is delighted it’s back. It ticks all the boxes now.”

Cllr McDiarmid continued: “I’m a great believer in buying local. You can come here and buy most of the things you need in a three or four mile radius. I think it’s brilliant.”

The store was officially opened last week by north east Fife MP Stephen Gethins.

He said: “It’s a privilege to come to my local petrol station. It’s a brilliant resource for the community and a fantastic investment.

“It’s a vote of confidence in the local community. I’d appeal for people to come along and use it.”

To follow the store and keep up-to-date with the latest developments, visit www.facebook.com/bridgendservicestation.