Godwin Board Director Contributes to BBC Radio 4 Drive-Thru Development Feature

Stuart Pratt, Board Director at national property developer Godwin Developments has featured on BBC Radio 4’s flagship consumer affairs programme, You & Yours, discussing the rising demand for drive-thru developments. The programme, which airs daily, looked at the continued growth of drive-thru offerings in the UK in the wake of the pandemic and how this affects property development.

Speaking to reporter Bob Walker at Godwin’s Birmingham headquarters, Stuart noted the huge consumer demand in the drive-thru market: “In the year to the end of August, British consumers spent just under £3 billion at drive-thrus.”

Brands with big plans

Picking up on the trend for convenience offerings, well-known companies have announced major expansion plans with drive-thrus seen as a key focus area. The likes of Burger King, Starbucks and Costa are still expanding and have major ambitions for growth across the country. Newer US entrants like Taco Bell, Popeyes and Wendy’s have also all committed millions to rolling out drive-thru formats nationwide.

Stuart added: “The UK market is a really good location for US brands to expand into.”

Future of the sector

As an established property development business with a track record in delivering drive-thru projects, the team at Godwin Developments are well placed to identify emerging trends in this asset class.

Stuart highlighted the growth of electric cars and associated electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure as a feature of new schemes. With new generation chargers able to deliver up to 80% capacity in just 10 minutes, the two go hand-in-hand with food and beverage offerings.

He added: “The electric charging stations that are provided alongside these increase dwell times and [this in turn] delivers a real increase in demand for roadside sites.”

Another growing feature is the use of locations for delivery services by companies like Deliveroo and JustEat.

As noted by contributor Thomas Rose, Co-Founder of retail and leisure real estate consultancy P-THREE, demands for new drive-thru locations from companies total around 400,000 sq. ft. every year.

Godwin Developments has experience through the entire development lifecycle – from acquisition, obtaining planning permission, construction and project management. The company recently secured detailed planning permission for a new drive-thru development with ultra-rapid EV charging provision from The EV Network in Uttoxeter, Staffordshire. Godwin’s experienced commercial division also recently developed a Costa Coffee and Greggs which includes a drive-thru offering with EV charging which is now fully operational in Stoke-on-Trent. The company is well-resourced and can assist landowners in increasing the value of their land while also growing market share and reach for brands.

Godwin Developments: Roadside Retail Development Sold To LondonMetric

UK property developer Godwin Developments has announced the joint land, lease and investment sale of a roadside retail site in Uttoxeter to LondonMetric Property, the FTSE 250 listed real estate investment trust (REIT) for just under £2 million. The transaction is the second in as many years between the two businesses, following the May 2020 disposal of a roadside convenience site in Rushden, Northamptonshire.

The deal includes a long lease with The EV Network, an independent EV charging infrastructure company, that will operate the site once built. The scheme will feature a Starbucks roadside retail store, six ultra-rapid EV charge points (150kW+), 26 parking bays as well as cycle storage and pedestrian access from the nearby Lidl food store.

Godwin Developments acquired the site in November 2021 and secured planning permission for a new commercial scheme in July this year, alongside occupier commitment from Starbucks’ drive-thru franchise partner, The Magic Bean Company.

Claudine Tracey, Associate Director of Commercial Development at Godwin Developments, said: “We’re really pleased to have completed the sale of our commercial scheme at Uttoxeter to LondonMetric. The deal highlights once again our ability to acquire land with attractive fundamentals, our expertise in securing planning consent and end occupiers at pace, and creating schemes which offer attractive long income generation potential.”

The development site of just under an acre is situated in a highly prominent location just off the A518, next to a newly opened Lidl supermarket and benefits from a high daily passing traffic count. Uttoxeter’s main railway station, used by 165,000 people every year, is in close proximity and a population of nearly 20,000 lives within a 3-mile radius.

Stuart Pratt, Director and Co-Founder at Godwin Developments, added: “Another deal with LondonMetric demonstrates the lasting impact of Godwin’s full-scale expertise and unique ability to deliver schemes across the development lifecycle. We look forward to continuing our strategy of securing prominent nationwide sites and adding value for communities, landowners and investors.”

Godwin Developments has residential, commercial and industrial divisions with developments in Northamptonshire, Staffordshire, Dorset and Cambridgeshire, alongside a strong UK-wide pipeline. Its commercial division develops and delivers projects for leading brands such as Lidl, McDonald’s, Burger King, Greggs, Starbucks and Costa Coffee. At the same time, the team works closely with electric vehicle charging providers, helping power the UK’s low carbon future.

CBRE and Shakespeare Martineau acted for Godwin Developments on the deal and Atlas Real Estate acted for LondonMetric.