Lawrences Garages
Five generations in, and not standing still
Turning fuel forecourts into full-service hubs – without the queues, and without the downtime.
Ben Lawrence is the fifth generation of his family to run Lawrences Garages. The business was founded in 1921, when it operated one of the first delivery tankers in the country. A hundred years on, the fuel pumps are still there – but Ben will tell you fuel isn’t really only part of the story.
“Fuel is one element, but actually, it’s to bring customers into our sites,” he says. What happens once they’re on site – the shop, the valeting, the speed of it all – is where the business is being won or lost.
The challenge
As the retail and valeting side grew, so did the queues – for fuel, then again inside for a valeting ticket. And as a small family business, the stakes go beyond inconvenience. “Anything that breaks down on our site, it personally hits us,” Ben says. With thousands of other petrol stations to choose from, patience runs out fast: “If you’re down, a customer’s routine can change quite quickly, and it’s quite hard to get that person back.”
The solution
Working with Attenda and Vianet, Lawrences Garage rebuilt how customers move through the site. Contactless payment on the valeting and jet wash means no more queuing for a ticket – customers tap and go, any time of day, and Ben’s seen rapid growth in contactless sales as a result. That confidence has since pushed the business into adding standalone, unmanned valeting bays, purely for the speed and effectiveness they bring.
None of it works if the terminals, processing and valeting equipment can’t be trusted, which is why reliability – not just price – is what moved Lawrences Garage to Attenda: “Customer service on the machines and reliability was key for us to make the switch.” When something needs attention, Gavin is who Ben calls: “He’s always there on hand to help us out.” Weekly sales reports now land straight in his inbox via SmartVend, ready to pass on to his fellow directors.
The result
Having Attenda, Vianet, and his car wash suppliers working together gives Lawrences Garage a genuine edge – systems that stay live throughout the day, whatever else is going on. That reliability frees the business to think beyond fuel: parcel lockers, EV charging, and top of the list, valeting. “That’s where we see the market going,” Ben says. Next up, an app with Attenda bringing in-store promotions and fuel discounts straight to customers’ phones.
It all serves the same goal: giving customers fewer reasons to go anywhere else. “Why would I want to go anywhere else? Let’s go to Lawrences Garage.”