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Extra
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Extra are this generation's growing company in the field of motorway services. As well as owning and running several services, they own several which they lease out to McDonalds and several petrol forecourts at services which they lease out to Shell.
Company History
Extra came about after the government deregulated motorway services in order to encourage more competition. Their first site was Cambridge on the A14 in 2001 and by the time it opened they already had several planning requests pending, many of which are still going today. They had the advantage of watching the shortfall of the big three operators and when they first started they insisted that they would not use franchises to keep the prices down, as well as proclaiming that many of their units would become conference facilities, but this isn't the case any more.
Extra Today
2008 was a good year for motorway services, because four new ones opened, and two of that four were built and run by Extra. Another one of the four was Folkestone, which was built and run by Stop 24 but Extra still own the petrol station and lease it out to Shell.
Their facilities are notable for being unique when compared with the other operators' and they are the only operator to have all of their services located off a junction.
Extra are currently on the verge of being sold, with Macquarie Bank (owners of Moto) and James Packer (who is actively involved with Welcome Break) being the two most promising bidders. More information as and when it comes.
Logo History
Extra have always used the 'cross' symbol pictured below, which if you look carefully has motorway lane markings on it. Gold Star, the name originally given to Extra's filling station sites and Cullompton, used a yellow star on a red background, seen to the right.
Official website: Visit Extra's official website
Acquired by: The Swayfields Group
Headquarters address: Extra MSA Services Ltd, 1 Castle Hill, Lincoln, LN1 3AA. [map]
Phone number: 01522 523737
Facilities
Extra's facilities include:
General: Pay Phones, Cash Machine, Meeting Room, Showers
Food/Drink: Pizza Hut, LP4, McDonalds, KFC, Starbucks
Shopping: Somerfield, WH Smith, McColl's
Fuel: Shell
Motel: Purple Hotels, Etap Hotel, Travelodge
Photos
Click on a photo to view the full size. If you have a photo, why not upload it? It's never too late to get your name in the limelight.
 | Extra's new site at Derby with Burton. Photo taken in 2008. |
 | Extra are building several new services, so this sign, which is designed to tell passing drivers what's going on, can be seen in a few places in the country. Photo taken in 2008. |
Extra Services
The following sites are run by Extra:
- Baldock (A1/A1(M))
- Cambridge (A14)
- Derby with Burton (A38/A50)
- Leicester (A6/A46)
- Peterborough (A1/A1(M))
Extra own these services but lease them out to McDonalds:
- Blackburn with Darwen (M65)
- Cullompton (M5)
Extra own the petrol forecourts at these services and lease them out to Shell:
- Folkestone (M20)
- Tibshelf (M1)
- Winchester (M3)
The following sites are either being planned or under construction:
- Beaconsfield (M40)
- Catherine-de-Barnes (M42)
- Cobham (M25)
Extra haven't closed or sold any services, however the amenity buildings at Tibshelf and Winchester were built by Extra but sold to RoadChef as the company wasn't properly organised in time for the opening of the services.
