How Highway Stops drove 5x more online shoppers to their forecourts

In 2011, Sharad Raja, former co-owner of Motor Fuel Group, launched Highway Stops Retail Limited (HSRL), now operating 16 forecourts across the South East under BP, Esso, and Shell. With a strong focus on premium fuel and a competitive retail offering, HSRL has consistently invested in its sites to enhance the customer experience.

Today, Shilan Raja oversees the business and recognises a growing challenge: in a crowded local market, being found first online is the difference between winning and losing a customer.

HSRL saw this challenge coming and acted fast. Shilan and his team turned to NearSt to start winning more local shoppers

• 5x more local shoppers are finding their sites on Google
• 422% increase in free (organic) views from shoppers searching nearby
• 689% more views when Local Inventory Ads were switched on
• Ranking #1 in Google local search results
• 35:1 return on ad spend  

"The number of local shoppers discovering our sites online has soared, and today we’re ranking number one on Google in local search"

- Shilan Raja, Director, Highway Stops Retail Ltd

The Problem: Online visibility was holding HSRL’s forecourts back

Success in the forecourt and convenience sector isn’t just about fuel sales. For Shilan, it’s about maximising each site’s full potential. This means improving in-store services while finding ways to communicate these offerings and attracting local and transient customers.

"With today’s digital-first shoppers, I knew we were losing out to local competition."

- Shilan

Before working with NearSt, Shilan and his team faced three challenges:

1. Untapped site potential 

Despite premium sites and investments, many HSRL locations were being missed by local shoppers searching online, letting competitors win foot traffic they should have owned.

2. Losing local shoppers to Tesco Extra and Sainsbury's Local

Nearby chains like Tesco Extra and Sainsbury’s Local ranked higher on Google, drawing shoppers away, even when HSRL had what customers were looking for in stock.

"Before NearSt, we knew we were missing a big opportunity. Our sites are in great locations, stock brilliant products and have strong retail offerings, but we weren’t showing up when people searched nearby."

- Shilan

To overcome these challenges and ensure HSRL’s sites stayed competitive in an increasingly digital world, Shilan partnered with NearSt to bridge the gap between his in-store offering and online discovery.

The Solution: NearSt connected in-store inventory directly to Google

Shilan knew boosting HSRL’s online visibility was key to attracting more local shoppers. After discovering NearSt at the 2024 Scottish Grocers Federation Conference, he chose to use their technology to connect his stores’ in-store inventory directly to Google, so nearby customers could instantly see what was in stock.

"Without adding any extra work for our team, they connected our in-store stock to the places local shoppers were searching for it online"

- Shilan

Through MADIC UK evoBackOffice, one of NearSt’s 150+ Point of Sale partners, Shilan was able to connect his stores’ in-store inventory data to NearSt. As a trusted Google Local Feeds Partner, NearSt automatically structured, enriched, and formatted this data for Google, ensuring it appeared across key Google surfaces without the need for complex IT work or manual updates.

"Using NearSt is a game-changer for MADIC UK evoBackOffice customers like Shilan. Showing real-time in-store inventory helps customers easily find and buy what they need locally. EvoBOS customers are staying ahead in the retail game, offering the convenience and speed that today's shoppers want." 

- Emma Baillie, Solution Management Group Director, Madic UK

With real-time in-store inventory visible in local searches, HSRL’s forecourts became instantly more discoverable. Shilan also gained access to Google Local Inventory Ads (see image above right), giving him a powerful way to reach high-intent shoppers and drive more footfall to his sites.

The Results: HSRL became the top choice for local shoppers

Shilan set out to put HSRL’s forecourts on the digital map, making them more visible, easier to find, and more likely to win over nearby shoppers. With NearSt, he achieved exactly that:

• 5x more discoverable on Google
  HSRL’s sites are now found five times more often in local search, driving consistent footfall and giving them a competitive edge.

• 422% increase in organic visibility 
  Real-time in-store inventory appears across Google Search, Maps, and Shopping, placing HSRL where local shoppers are looking without any Ad spend.

• Ranked #1 in locally
  In competitive areas like Esso Park Royal, HSRL now appears at the top of Google, beating major national brands.

"Straight away we saw the results; the number of local shoppers discovering our sites online soared, and today we’re ranking number one on Google in local search."

- Shilan

HSRL’s Share of Local Voice (SoLV)* & Average Rank Position (ARP)** Before & With NearSt

Below is a Local Search Geolocation Grid - NearSt ran searches for several products from 49 locations around their store. Circles indicate the geolocation of the search and their store's position in search results - Data compares the average 3 months before vs the first 3 months with NearSt

Before NearSt                                                                                                         With NearSt

*Average Rank Position (ARP) refers to the mean ranking position of your business in search engine results for a set of local keywords over a period of time. **Share of Local Voice (SoLV) is the percentage of local search visibility your business has compared to competitors. It shows how often you appear in top local search results, helping measure and improve your local SEO performance.

Measurable impact in-store

With NearSt, Shilan ran Google Local Inventory Ads, which show in-stock products to nearby shoppers at the top of Google when they search for them.

By running Local Inventory Ads through NearSt:

• Cost per click (CPC): just £0.12
• Return on ad spend (ROAS): 35:1 - for every £1 spent, it delivered £35 back
• Only in-stock products are shown, meaning no wasted budget

This maximised HSRL’s visibility and delivered footfall and revenue, without wasted spend.

Now, HSRL isn’t just visible, it’s unmissable. By using NearSt’s in-store inventory feed technology, Shilan boosted local search performance, overtook major competitors, and made HSRL the go-to choice for nearby shoppers.

"What’s really stood out is the quality of the partnership. I’m excited to keep growing together and making sure we stay the first choice for local shoppers.”

- Shilan

Ready to drive more footfall?

Want to appear first in local searches and turn online searches into in-store visits? Fill out the form below and our team will be in touch to explore how NearSt could work for your stores.