Two petrol filling stations in South Bucks are being sold along with the 15 other garages that belong to the Cornwall Group. 

This year the independent family-owned company was 13th in Forecourt Trader Top 50 Indie Listing.

At its height there were 44 filling stations in the chain.

John Murray founded his Surrey-based business in the early 1960s when he opened the Denham Garage in Esher. 

He was managing director for 50 years before handing over control to his son.

The garages are for sale either individually or as a group through the business agents Christies. The guide price for all 17 is £13,210,000.

The Desborough Park Filling Station in Desborough Park Road, High Wycombe (guide price £725,000)  and Ash Service Station, in London Road, Wendover (guide £1,190,000) are among 14 freehold sites in the Murray portfolio but they are not among the nine that have rapid electric vehicle chargers installed. 

Did the prospect of petrol and diesel cars being overtaken by electric have a bearing on the decision to sell, the Bucks Free Press asked the agent?

Christies associate director Nick Bywater replied: “Whilst sales of electric vehicles are certainly rising each year they still represent only 4.5 per cent of all new car registrations. 

“So traditional petrol stations will remain an important feature of the transport infrastructure in the foreseeable future.

“Electric vehicles are expected to reach price point equivalence with their petrol/diesel counterpart by 2024. Beyond this tipping point, they are likely to become a significant feature of the automotive landscape.

“Forecourt operators are diversifying their services by improving the quality of their retail sales and by installing EV charging points. 

“Cornwall Garage Group is at the forefront of this change and has installed EV chargers at nine sites this year, resulting in a positive impact on turnover.”

All the forecourts at the 17 filling stations owned by the Murray family include a shop run by an outside operator on a commission basis.

The shops range in size from small kiosks to full  blown convenience stores.

Grant Murray commented: “It has been a privilege to have worked with my father for over 36 years and now is the right moment in time for the family to explore new avenues.”