Self-service petrol station pioneer Gerald Ronson is merging his two petrol retailing businesses in a £1bn deal.
The link-up of privately owned roadside retailer Snax 24 and forecourt group Rontec will create one of the UK’s largest roadside retail businesses.
The move follows £100m of acquisitions completed by the two businesses over the past year.
A five-year supply deal has also been signed between the two that is valued at up to £1bn over five years.
The merger will add Snax 24’s 44 sites to Rontec’s 166 sites to create a business with 210 stations, including two motorway sites, and total combined sales per annum of around £1.5bn.
Ronson will become chairman of the combined group.
He said: “The merging of my forecourt interests represents the culmination of 49 years in the industry. Having opened our first petrol station in St Albans in 1966 and developed nearly 1,000 in the UK since, this is a business we are passionate about.
“The addition of Snax 24’s portfolio to Rontec’s sites strengthens what is already a formidable company run by one of the most professional and experienced teams in the sector, and enables us to sign major deals with suppliers such as BP, with whom we have a 30-year relationship.”
