BROMYARD’S Texaco garage is back in business after a month-long refit that has brought with it a Costcutter store, Costa Coffee and hot food.

The shop at the filling station on the A44, formerly Bishop's, is now four times as big as it used to be since opening its doors to customers last week.

The Costcutter shop sells a far wider range of products than was previously available at the site, including alcoholic drinks, National Lottery tickets, fresh coffee, a new food-to-go range and a comprehensive selection of "everyday products".

The garage's refit, which began on September 5, also includes a revamped sales building, expanding across what used to be the car sales showroom of Bishop's business.

The plans for the site, that were previously approved by Herefordshire Council, also included two new pump islands and an extended canopy. However, this work has not yet been carried out.

SGN Limited recently took over the garage on the bypass and set about making the changes, with a licence to sell alcohol already granted by the county council.

According to the plans, the total floorspace of the shop has risen from 43 square metres to 184 – four times as much as it used to be.

On its Facebook page, Texaco Bromyard has announced it will now be open for longer hours, from 6am until 11pm.

Pictures from inside the revamped garage show the expanded range of products available in the store, with more car parking space available for shoppers.

Costcutter is a nationwide chain that has a supply deal with Co-op. Before reopening, signage highlighting this arrangement sparked negative comments online, with some residents pointing out that the town already had two Co-op stores and did not need another.

However, the operator of the store, who gave his name as Nirushan, was keen to point out that Costcutter was entirely separate from Co-op. “We only sell some Co-op products,” he said. 

“We have been working really hard for the past month, and are looking forward to welcoming customers back though our doors,” he added.