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Moto
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Moto is the largest service area operator and it dates back to a company called Granada, who worked in several businesses at once. As well as providing the North-West's ITV, they rented out TV equipment, worked with several small hotel chains and they ran the UK's largest network of motorway services.
Company History
Since they started in the 70s, Granada grew at a steady rate and started to chew at their competitors. When Taverna, Blue Star, Mobil and Kenning Motor Group all collapsed during the seventies and eighties, Granada bought their sites. Despite this, they had little more than 20 sites, and were seen as only a speck compared to the empire that was Trusthouse Forte.
Things went well for them during the nineties, which started out with them building several new services on the A1, A36, A38 and the A40. They then bought eight sites from Pavilion (a move which, for the first time, knocked Forte from pole position in terms of motorway services). Welcome Break were said to be interested in Pavilion, but they backed off because they didn't want to be investigated by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission. Granada didn't want to arise suspicion either, so when they bought Pavilion they sold two of their own sites to create First.
In 1995 Granada's wave of success continued as they acquired The Forte Group, which included their competitors Welcome Break, roadside restaurants Little Chef and Happy Eater and budget hotel chain Travelodge.
Upon buying Welcome Break, Granada described the company's original concepts as "still looking good", but that they "have not been kept up to date". Granada also said that they wanted to add fast food to all the services and in doing this, make a much-doubted £500m from the deal. Just months after buying them, Granada upped the prices at all of their services given that they now owned over 75% of the motorway market, for example the M4 is 189 miles long and yet the only services which weren't owned by Granada were at the very end. It's not surprising that they did make their £500m.
Granada converted all their Happy Eaters to Little Chef (they said that the name Little Chef earnt more money, although today Little Chef have their own financial problems) and added Little Chefs and Burger Kings to almost all their services, including the Welcome Breaks. Granada were doing so well that they built lots of services along trunk routes. Many of them have shrunk since but you can still recognise them because they use Granada's distinctive road signs.
By now, Granada had grown so much they were investigated by the Monopolies and Mergers Commission, who insisted that they sold Welcome Break. Eventually Investcorp bought them, but the whole deal took almost 2 years - a time which angered many people, especially RoadChef.
In 2000 Granada merged with the Compass Group, but they diverged again in 2001, however, Granada only took their media business with them: Compass retained the hospitality side. Compass made their mark by changing their services to become Motos, this was because during the 1990s motorway services had reached an all-time low in terms of consumer confidence, and Compass wanted to turn this image round by providing a "a better, continental-feeling service".
Over the next few years Permira bought Travelodge and Little Chef and Macquarie Bank bought Moto as Compass were hitting rocky ground. Interestingly, Macquarie Bank also own Midlands Expressway Ltd who run the M6 Toll road - another aspect of UK life which is notoriously expensive.
Moto Today
Moto provide many services for different customers, from coach passengers to dogs. They used to have a wide variety of shops, but over the past few years many of these have closed, a move which was largely influenced by the Compass Group's reign of the services.
Recently Moto were the first operator to convert all of their retail stores to WH Smith outlets, and they also use the popular Marks and Spencer Simply Food chain. The stores impressed Holiday Which? Magazine who described them as "well worth driving on the motorway for alone".
Moto have also won awards from Tommy's Parent Friendly Loo
and between 2003 and 2006 they did well in the Loo of the Year, coming top in the UK in 2005 and winning a Standards of Excellence (Champions League) award in 2006, but in 2007 and 2008 only one of their services was graded. The 2008 awards were dominated by Welcome Break.
They have their own charity, Moto in the Community Trust, who help out the local area surrounding their services. In recent months Moto have made several new deals to try and win people's custom: they seem to be replacing their Fresh Express stores with the Eat & Drink Company and their Caffè Ritazza outlets with Costa Coffee, and they have signed a deal with Virgin Radio to provide a mix of radio and offers available inside the services in a special stream which will soon be playing at all of their services. This is probably to replace 'Granada FM' which was played at service stations when Granada were in charge.
Moto were the only one of the 'big three' operators to open a new service area in 2008: their site at Wetherby claims to be the greenest service station around. The new services contain a Days Inn motel, as the break up of Compass Group meant that Moto are no longer tied to Travelodge. Having only just opened Wetherby, Moto are now looking to buy Magor and Winchester services, which is ironic because just over 10 years ago Moto's predecessor, Granada, were in trouble for monopolising the market.
It's thought that Moto also have services in France and Italy.
Logo History
Granada were best known for their logo being a large red 'G', but their history of somewhat simple logos in a variety of fonts goes back long before then. To the right is the logo which featured in their publications throughout the early nineties.
Moto's logo of a relaxed traveller (see below) has been used ever since the company was first created. They were the first of the operators to find a loophole in the law; by changing their operating logo to read 'Moto Marks and Spencer Simply Food' at the appropriate sites, they can get round the strict regulations which prevent them from advertising their facilities on the motorway. Welcome Break and RoadChef soon copied this initiative. Keen to stay one step ahead of the game, Moto have announced their newest brand by making their logo read 'Costa M&S', giving no reference to Moto on the headboard at all. This has since been followed by 'Caffè Ritazza Burger King' for the services which don't have a Costa.
Official website: Visit Moto's official website
Acquired by: Macquarie Bank
Chief executive: Tim Moss
Headquarters address: Moto Hospitality Limited, Head Office, PO Box 218, Toddington [Motorway Services], Bedfordshire, LU5 6QG [map]
Phone number: 08701 911900
Facilities
Moto's facilities include:
General: Cash Machine, Picnic Tables, Children's Play Area, Pay Phones, Local Information, Meeting Rooms, Business Rooms, Contemplation Rooms, Showers
Food/Drink: Burger King, Upper Crust, Caffè Ritazza, Costa Coffee, Eat & Drink Company
Shopping: Birthdays, Fonebitz, Ladbrokes, Marks and Spencer Simply Food, Scoop, T2, Thorntons, WH Smith
Fuel: Shell, BP, Total
Motel: Travelodge, Days Inn
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.
 | Moto's newest services are built around a large atrium, like an airport terminal. This one is Doncaster (North). Photo taken in 2006. |
 | Granada and Forte both built many small shacks and Little Chef+Travelodge combinations off a-roads. This one, Markfield is one of few which hasn't been sold off. Photo taken in 2007. |
 | A busy day at the back of Donington Park, which is another new airport-style service area. Photo taken in 2007. |
 | Moto's Fresh Express café, specialising in cooked food on request. It has since been branded as Eat & Drink Company. Photo taken in 2006. |
 | The larger sites often have scenic picnic areas round the back, many of which resemble the local area. This one and the photo below were taken at Cherwell Valley. Photo taken in 2007. |
 | Moto also take pride in providing dog food and water at the front of the services. If there's room, they may provide a field or recreational area (the standards of which vary). Unfortunately, it seems this one had flooded when I visited. Photo taken in 2007. |
 | However, many of Moto's older sites aren't as interesting. This one, Trowell, has recently been refurbished and is looking the very best it ever has. Photo taken in 2006. |
 | The older services don't have the luxury of open space, but as they have been extended over time they now have these corridors. Not a bad effort. Photo taken in 2006. |
 | One thing which almost all of the services have is a Travelodge hotel, like this nice one at Tamworth. Moto's affiliation with Travelodge dates back to then days when Granada owned it. Photo taken in 2006. |
 | And finally, finishing on an icon. Rank's services each had a small tower with a restaurant offering a panoramic view (now replaced with offices due to health and safety). The Pennine Tower at Lancaster is the grandest and most famous of all. Apparently it's possible to sneak inside if you know what you're doing. Photo taken by Roger May. It's used under this Creative Commons |
Moto Services
The following sites are run by Moto: [view on a map]
- Birch (M62)
- Blyth (A1(M)/A1)
- Bridgwater (M5)
- Burton-in-Kendal (M6) (northbound only)
- Cardiff West (M4)
- Cherwell Valley (M40/A43)
- Chieveley (M4/A34)
- Doncaster (North) (M18/M180)
- Donington Park (M1/A42/A50)
- Eastern Docks (Dover) (A20)
- Exeter (M5)
- Ferrybridge (M62/A1)
- Frankley (M5)
- Grantham North (A1)
- Heston (M4)
- Hilton Park (M6)
- Kinross (M90)
- Knutsford (M6)
- Lancaster (M6)
- Leigh Delamere (M4)
- Lymm (M6/M56)
- Markfield (M1)
- Medway (M2)
- Pease Pottage (M23/A23)
- Reading (M4)
- Scotch Corner (A1/A66)
- Severn View (M48)
- Southwaite (M6)
- Stafford (North) (M6) (northbound only)
- Stirling (M9/M80)
- Swansea (M4)
- Tamworth (M42/A5)
- Thurrock (M25/A13/A282)
- Tiverton (M5)
- Toddington (M1)
- Todhills (M6)
- Trowell (M1)
- Washington (A1(M))
- Wetherby (A1(M))
- Winchester (M3)
- Woolley Edge (M1)
The following services were owned by Moto:
- Magor (M4)
The following a-road services were built by Granada but sold off when Moto was created: *
- Cardiff Gate (A4232)
- Colsterworth (A1)
- Musselburgh (A1/A702)
- Oxford Peartree (A34/A44)
- Sutton Scotney (A34)
* - Please note that a-road services are only included in these lists if they are covered in the Services List section of the site.
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With thanks to Alan Simpson and the user 'Roadhog_001' for the information used on this page.