Moto Hospitality

Moto Hospitality
Private
Industry Hospitality
Predecessor Granada
Founded 7 February 2001 (Toddington)
Headquarters Toddington, Bedfordshire, United Kingdom
Area served
 United Kingdom
Key people
 Tim Moss (CEO)
Robert Prynn (CFO)
Brian Lotts (Chief Operating Officer)
Sir Gerry Robinson (Chairman)
Revenue Increase£611,311 (2014)
Owner Private investors
Number of employees
 Increase6,000+
Website MOTO
Moto services on the A1(M) at Wetherby, West Yorkshire.

Moto Hospitality is a company which operates 58 motorway service stations across the United Kingdom. Its currently the UKs biggest service area operator.

Moto is owned by a consortium of shareholders including Australian pension funds and European and New Zealand infrastructure funds and is asset managed by Macquarie Investment Bank. Macquarie Bank has managed Moto since Compass Group sold off SSP in April 2006 for £1,822 million.[1]

History

Granada, who owned the chain of Granada motorway service stations, merged with Compass in July 2000, to form Granada Compass plc. The plan was to combine the hospitality interests of the two businesses and hive off the media division, which was done by demerging the new group into Compass plc and Granada Media in 2001. Granada had previously acquired Forte plc in a £3.3bn hostile takeover on 24 January 1996. It sold its French Cote France service stations to Italy's Autogrill in December 1997. The food and hospitality division of Granada was retained by Compass, which became its Select Service Partner (SSP) UK division, but ownership of the Granada brand and trademark passed to the new media company. The Granada name was retained on the service stations until 23 May 2001, when the 47 sites were rebranded as Moto. In 2006, Moto separated from Compass Group and SSP following successful acquisition by a consortium of investors and underwent a period of intensive expansion through investment in new brands and offers.

Facilities

The facilities available at Moto service areas varies from each site, with most sites open 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Typically, each service area comprises a cafe or restaurant, a retail outlet, a hotel and a petrol station. Most sites have WHSmith, Burger King, Eat and Drink Co. restaurant, Costa Coffee and a Petrol station which is either Esso or BP.

Travelodge

The majority of hotels at Moto service areas are Travelodge hotels, at 56 sites.

Days Inn

Moto have recently experimented with Days Inn, with two sites at Winchester services and Wetherby Services. Although the Days Inn motel at Winchester services was opened by Moto, but operated by Welcome Break.

Fone Bitz

Fone Bitz operate at quite a few selected Moto sites, Fone Bitz sell a range of mobile phone, iPad, iPod, laptop, electronic and car accessories in general.

Ladbrokes

Ladbrokes was introduced long before Moto's reign, and was introduced by Granada in 1995, Granada thought betting arcades would be a useful facility at Motorway Services.

Moto Meetings

Moto Meetings is Moto's own branded business centres. It offers facilities other than business, such as the free Wi-Fi, Food & Drink, Telephones, eMail, and Fax at most Moto service areas and a seating area. Meeting Rooms are booked on-site or online.

Lucky Coin

Lucky Coin are Moto's own branded betting arcades, they were founded and introduced in 2006. They are a common sight at Moto services and even appear at services that provide a Ladbrokes too.

Barber Shop

The branch at Toddington Services has since closed. Leaving just 2 shops, one at Lymm and the other at Leigh Delamere. The branch at Leigh Delamere is branded as 'Mr.Bee's Barbershop'.

Full Hou$e

Full House is another one of Moto's self branded arcades. Unlike Lucky Coin, Full House is relatively new and isn't at many sites for the time being.

WHSmith

WHSmith operate outlets in all Moto service stations.

M&S Simply Food

Marks & Spencer operate Simply Food outlets across many services. The first one opened at Toddington in 2003, and has been rolled out at many of Moto's sites.

Costa Coffee

In 2008 Costa Coffee agreed a new deal with Moto and started to open branches at all sites and it also replaced Caffè Ritazza outlets or opened in new space that was available, by 2009 all the remaining Ritazza outlets were eventually removed and replaced.

Eat & Drink Co

Moto's self branded restaurant introduced in 2008. Replacing the old Fresh Express Restaurants.

Burger King

Burger King have franchises at all major Moto Sites.

Greggs

Greggs was first trialled at Lymm services on the M56 in early 2012 and now there are currently outlets at 12 Moto service stations.

West Cornwall Pasty Company

The West Cornwall Pasty Company was introduced to Reading West Services on the M4 in early 2011 as part of a trial to replace Upper Crust and is now currently at 14 of Moto's service areas.

Upper Crust

Upper Crust used to be at many sites but were all closed down expect for a couple of sites at Reading & Wetherby Services. A branch surprisingly re-opened at Cherwell Valley Services after the fire in 2010, replacing the Ladbrokes that should have opened instead.

Krispy Kreme

Krispy Kreme kiosks can be found at the majority of Moto service areas.

Harry Ramsdens

Harry Ramsdens fish and chip shops used to be at 30 of Moto sites, but as the company has slowly shrunk all the service station units closed. The final branch at Exeter Services finally closed in early 2013 in favour of Moto's new brand, Bar & Grill.

Awards

Moto have won awards for the standards of cleanliness in their public toilets, winning the 'Loo of the Year Award' back in 2006 (for the fourth year running).[2]

The competition judges visited more than 1,000 public toilets all over Britain, scrutinising cleanliness, overall management, signage, accessibility, décor and the standard of fixtures and fittings.[3]

Innovations

Moto have recently opened Britain's first carbon neutral service station on the A1(M) at Kirk Deighton near Wetherby,[4] lying across the border line between West Yorkshire and North Yorkshire, they have also purchased Winchester Services from Roadchef for conversion to carbon neutral operation. The upgrade will include recharging points for hybrid cars, a wind turbine, energy saving measures within the station itself and several innovative solutions that will be employed on a trial basis. These include a methane capturing system in the septic tank that will be allow gas to be recycled into the food production areas, and a commitment towards the reuse of energy currently wasted in the disposal systems of the station.

Other Moto stations shall soon feature play areas designed in collaboration with Tate Prize nominie Kolya Alyar who is famous for his work in bringing attention to the plight of the Mountain Jews of Dagestan, themed around various biblical chapters, including but not limited to Exodus and Leviticus.

Locations

Birch Eastbound Junction 18/19 (M62)

Birch Westbound Junction 18/19 (M62)

Blyth Junction A1(M) (A614)

Bridgwater Junction 24 (M5)

Burton-in-Kendal Northbound Junction 35/36 (M6)

Cardiff West Junction 33 (M4)

Cherwell Valley Junction 10 (M40)

Chieveley Junction 13 (M4/A34)

Doncaster North Junction 5 (M18)

Donington Park Junction 23A (M1)

Dover Port Dover Eastern Docks

Exeter Junction 30 (M5)

Ferrybridge Junction 33 (M62/A1)

Frankley Northbound Junction 3/4 (M5)

Frankley Southbound Junction 3/4 (M5)

Grantham North A1 Trunk Road

Grantham South A1 Colsterworth

Heston Eastbound Junction 2/3 (M4)

Heston Westbound Junction 2/3 (M4)

Hilton Park Northbound Junction 10A/11 (M6)

Hilton Park Southbound Junction 10a/11 (M6)

Kinross Junction 6 (M90)

Knutsford Northbound Junction 18/19 (M6)

Knutsford Southbound Junction 18/19 (M6)

Lancaster Northbound Junction 32/33 (M6)

Lancaster Southbound Junction 32/33 (M6)

Leigh Delamere Eastbound Junction 17/18 (M4)

Leigh Delamere Westbound Junction 17/18 (M4)

Medway Eastbound Junction 4/5 (M2)

Medway Westbound Junction 4/5 (M2)

Pease Pottage A23

Reading Eastbound Junction 11/12 (M4)

Reading Westbound Junction 11/12 (M4)

Saltash Carkeel Roundabout, Saltash

Scotch Corner A1/A66

Severn View Junction 1 (M48)

Southwaite Northbound Junction 41/42 (M6)

Southwaite Southbound Junction 41/42 (M6)

Stafford Northbound Junction 14/15 (M6)

Stirling Junction 9 M9/M80

Swansea Junction 47 (M4)

Tamworth Junction 10 (M42/A5)

Thurrock Junction 30/31 (M25)

Tiverton Junction 27 (M5)

Toddington Northbound Junction 11/12 (M1)

Toddington Southbound Junction 11/12 (M1)

Todhills Northbound Junction 44 M6

Todhills Southbound Junction 44 M6

Trowell Northbound Junction 25/26 (M1)

Trowell Southbound Junction 25/26 (M1)

Warminster A36 Bypass

Washington Northbound Junction 64 A1(M)

Washington Southbound Junction 64 A1(M)

Wetherby Junction 46 A1(M)

Winchester Northbound Junction 8/9 (M3)

Winchester Southbound Junction 8/9 (M3)

Woolley Edge Northbound Junction 38/39 (M1)

Woolley Edge Southbound Junction 38/39 (M1)

See also

References

  1. ↑ "Travel catering giant SSP and Moto sold to EQT and Macquarie Bank for £1,822 million – 09/04/06". TheMoodieReport.com. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
  2. ↑ "Loo of the Year Awards 2007: National Award Winners". Loo.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-08-01.
  3. ↑ "LOY 2007 results brochure" (PDF). Retrieved 2009-08-01.
  4. ↑ "New Moto Station to hold open day in Wetherby - Wetherby Today". Wetherbynews.co.uk. Retrieved 2009-08-01.

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Moto Hospitality.