Machynlleth’s petrol station opened its doors to customers on Thursday after six months of renovation work.

The work cost the store’s owner, the Ascona group, £2.8 million - making it their ‘largest investment in Wales to date.’

The store opened to customers at 12pm, offering a limited selection of services.

The grand opening, where the store will open with full services, is on Thursday 24 August.

The renovation work, which includes extending the forecourt and adding more petrol pumps, allows the store to be a ‘high quality roadside retail destination that caters to specific needs’ of customers and the local community.

To celebrate the occasion, members of staff will be holding a raffle with tickets available in store. Prizes include a skateboard made by Monster Energy, hospitality for two in the lounge at Parc Y Scarlets (Scarlet’s Park) Llanelli, as well as £50 and £20 petrol vouchers. The raffle will be drawn at mid day on 24 August, tickets cost £1.

Ascona CEO Darren Briggs said: “On 10 August, we will be reopening Machynlleth Service Station after a redevelopment and modernisation programme that has lasted for over six months. This £2.8m project has been our largest investment in Wales to date and we are truly excited to reopen Machynlleth later this month.

“The upgraded site will provide our customers and the local community with a high quality roadside retail destination that caters to their specific needs and we look forward to welcoming customers in again soon.

The Ascona company isn’t done investing in Welsh stores, and has two ‘major projects’ planned in the country for 2024.

Mr Briggs said: “The redevelopment and modernisation of existing forecourts is at the core of our strategy, and we continue to explore other redevelopment opportunities across multiple sites in our portfolio with two major projects planned in Wales for 2024.”