A business owner in Birchington has been honoured at a top industry awards.
Easwaran Surean, who runs Brooksend Service Station on Canterbury Road, was named as the winner of the Best Gulf category at the Gulf Roadside Services EXPO and Awards.
The national awards are organised by Certas Energy’s Roadside Services division, which supports more than 400 service station sites across the UK, many of which are small, independent businesses.
Easwaran, who has run the business for four years with his wife Sivasakthi, won the award for turning the once neglected site around, undergoing a full renovation, installing new amenities and achieving 451% growth.
Easwaran, who has more than 30 years of petrol retailing experience, said: “After buying the petrol station in 2020, we’re thrilled to have turned it around after a long time with no investment. It’s brilliant to see the site thriving. We’re so grateful to our hard-working team for all their support.”
Easwaran’s plans for the future include transforming the MOT centre which adjoins his service station into a restaurant with a 30-space car park.
The award was presented at a special ceremony held at Carden Park in Chester on Thursday, March 21.
Richard Billington, Managing Director of Certas Roadside Services, said: “These awards are our way of celebrating the small businesses which show great business acumen and innovation in a tough industry.
“Being a small business owner can be very challenging and you can often feel quite isolated, so this is our way of thanking the teams that make up a network of service stations that keep our country moving.”
The award was sponsored by CMS.
