In photos: five Sussex petrol stations sold by specialist business property adviser after ‘substantial investment’

Christie & Co said the sites are Horam, Clayhill, Eastbourne, Hawkswood and Storrington.

The company said these filling stations have undergone ‘substantial investment’ in recent years, which included changing the fuel and shop suppliers from their own branding to nationally recognised brands.

The five sites were sold on behalf of Anthony and Paul Salvidge of Pricewatch. Anthony and Paul said: “We took the decision to sell these sites to free up time as we look to expand our business in other areas. It has been a pleasure serving the local communities over the last couple of years and seeing the sites grow following recent investment.

“We contacted Mark at Christie & Co knowing his wealth of experience in the market and ability to run a confidential process. We were really pleased with his service, from initial pricing discussions to knowing the active operators to approach.”

Horam Service Station was acquired by Prem Uthayankumaran of Prehybrid, an operator aiming to grow his business through a deal financed by Christie Finance. Prem said: “I want to use this opportunity to say a big thank you to Mark Kaluza at Christie & Co for the support provided on this acquisition. Independents getting hold of forecourts is becoming a rare occasion and it is difficult to make it happen, but Prehybrid now have four sites all via Mark Kaluza at Christie & Co since the first in 2020.”

Clayhill and Eastbourne Old Town service stations were acquired by Nalliah Thayaparan of NTS Retail Limited. He said: “NTS Group, a prominent player in the energy and retail sector, is proud to announce the acquisition of its 25th and 26th petrol stations. This significant achievement highlights the company's consistent growth and steadfast commitment to providing fuel and retail services across England and Wales.”

The Storrington and Hawkswood Service Stations were acquired by Sejpal of Platinum Retail, who said: “We have been interested in expanding our network in the Southeast and were delighted Mark approached us with this confidential opportunity. We saw an opportunity to rebrand the sites, with a particular plan to install recognised shop brands to increase footfall and turnover. We thank Pricewatch for selling these sites to us and hope to provide a market-leading offer to the local community.”

Anthony and Paul said: “We very much wish Sej, Thaya and Prem all the best with their new businesses and look forward to visiting them again soon, or bumping into them at the next trade event to see how things are going.”

Mark Kaluza, regional director at Christie & Co, who managed the sales, said: “We are delighted to have assisted Paul and Anthony, who we have been working with for several years, with the sale of these sites.”

He said: “In the first quarter of 2025, we sold 44 retail businesses, facilitated over 400 viewings and advised on around £146 million of asset value.”

Neil Collins, associate director at Christie Finance, who managed the financing of Horam Service Station, said: “Working with Prem and the vendors, we have dealt with hurdles along the way, but we were able to respond quickly and obtain the best possible deal for Prem and his business. I look forward to helping him on his next acquisition.”

Abigail Gisbourne LLP of Shoosmiths acted for Pricewatch.