Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

Viral Nisa forecourt in Oldham attracting customers from around UK

Viral Nisa forecourt in Oldham attracting customers from around UK

A Nisa forecourt in Oldham has gone viral on TikTok with more than a million people viewing a video of the unique treats it has on offer.

Monarch Service Station can be found just off Broadway in Royton and is home to a Nisa store and Shell forecourt, as well as the popular Smashville burgers.


The station is the subject to several TikTok videos including a post by @lucychetwyndx and has been viewed more than a million times and liked more than 80,000 times.

In the video, viewers are told, "You need to visit this petrol station in Oldham" before showcasing the wide range of food and snacks it has on sale.

Smashville Burger Co 2

The station sells many American snacks and has a Smashville burger shop, which does popular smash burgers.

Among the snacks on offer are American crisps, such as Takis, sweets, cereals, pickles, slushies and Reese's hot chocolate.

More than 1,500 comments have been left on the post, with many new customers and food bloggers travelling from around the UK to experience the TikTok sensation for themselves.

Mebs Patel, Operations Manager at Monarch Service Station, admits the whole concept of the station has exceeded his expectations.

“We've even had some food bloggers from Sweden come to the store, the reach has been immense,” said Mebs.

“We came across someone on TikTok who got on the train from Scotland. I've got regular customers from Hull and Peterborough. One chap came from Peterborough and came back three days later.

“We’ve got reach of the whole of the UK from a single site in Oldham. The TikTok videos have been going viral over the past six months but in the run up to that we’ve obviously developed a proposition that would be fitting with TikTok.

“We have worked very hard on the product. We’ve created a whole concept across the store that works in tandem with the smash burger. That's the big key driver for us and what's made the whole station viral.

“Yes, we sell grocery, confectionery. But our USP and our key brand proposition is Smashville, the Americans sweets, and the American candy confectionery.

“What we were creating was a big night in section and the American products sold themselves perfectly to that. We've got the American confectionery, crisps, snacks, nachos, American drinks and then the frozen slushies and American hot chocolate. We have a lot of unique products and that is what attracts customers to come back to the store.”

With an increased footfall to the store, Mebs admits that sales have reached new heights over the past six months with plans for future growth already on the cards.

Slush Machines and Hot Choc

“Growth in sales goes hand-in-hand with more customers and the key catalyst has always been Smashville. The exciting products that we have in store compliments Smashville and Smashville doing what it is doing compliments the other product lines. The whole concept really has uplifted our volume and customer footfall which we are delighted about.

“We are we are looking to take Smashville to more locations. We are looking at all the different formats available to us and hope to build on this success in the future. The station has put Oldham on the map again and now we must continue to develop our proposition to attract more customers to the area.”

Victoria Lockie, Head of Retail at Nisa, added: “The team at Monarch Service Station have done a brilliant job of creating a very unique proposition and that has encouraged shoppers from all over the country to travel to Oldham to experience the service station.

“Our teams at Nisa continue to work hard with Mebs and the team to review the proposition so it can continue to flourish in the future.”

More for you

A woman enters the Selfridges department store

A woman enters the Selfridges department store on December 13, 2024 in London, England

Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

Retail faces mixed fortunes in 2025 amid cost pressures, AI opportunities, and high street revival


The UK retail sector is bracing for a challenging but opportunity-filled 2025, according to Jacqui Baker, head of retail at RSM UK. While the industry grapples with rising costs and heightened crime, advancements in artificial intelligence and a revival of the high street offer potential pathways to growth, she said.

Keep ReadingShow less
unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend

Unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend

Photo: Southend-on-Sea City Council

1,100 unsafe soft drinks seized in Southend safety crackdown

Southend-on-Sea City Council officials have secured food condemnation orders from Chelmsford Magistrates Court, resulting in the seizure and destruction of 1,100 unauthorised soft drinks.

The condemned drinks, including Mountain Dew, 7-UP, Mirinda, and G Fuel energy drinks, were found during routine inspections of food businesses across Southend by the council’s environmental health officers.

Keep ReadingShow less
Charity Super.Mkt at Brent Cross Shopping centre in north London

A customer browses clothes inside Charity Super.Mkt at Brent Cross Shopping centre in north London on, December 17, 2024

Photo by JUSTIN TALLIS/AFP via Getty Images

Brits kindle Christmas spirit with second-hand gifts

Bursting with customers one afternoon the week before Christmas, a second-hand charity shop in London's Marylebone High Street looked even busier than the upscale retailers surrounding it.

One man grabbed two puzzle sets and a giant plush toy as a present for friends, another picked out a notebook for his wife.

Keep ReadingShow less
Nothing is more important than your Mental Elf

Nothing is more important than your Mental Elf

Lancashire Mind’s 11th Mental Elf fun run was its biggest and best yet – a sell-out event with more than 400 people running and walking in aid of the mental charity, plus dozens more volunteering to make the day a huge success.

The winter sun shone on Worden Park in Leyland as families gathered for either a 5K course, a 2K run, or a Challenge Yours’Elf distance which saw many people running 10K with the usual running gear replaced with jazzy elf leggings, tinsel and Christmas hats.

Keep ReadingShow less
A woman walks past a window display promoting an ongoing sale

A woman walks past a window display promoting an ongoing sale, on December 13, 2024 in London, England.

Photo by Leon Neal/Getty Images

Retail sales disappoint before Christmas

UK retail sales rose less than expected in the runup to Christmas, according to official data Friday that deals a fresh blow to government hopes of growing the economy.

Separate figures revealed a temporary reprieve for prime minister Keir Starmer, however, as public borrowing fell sharply in November.

Keep ReadingShow less