Supermarket forecourt expansion 'puts 1,000 independent petrol stations at risk of closure Steve Rodell, head of retail at Christie & Co, said: "If applications continue at the same rate, and there is no reason to believe that will not be the case, there will be another 160 supermarket sites by the end of 2016." Supermarkets seeking to establish more "standalone" forecourt sites could result in the opening of a further 25 to 40 new filling stations operated by the retail giants each year, the PRA said. It claimed that "every new supermarket site is sucking the equivalent volume of five independents out of the market." Brian Madderson, PRA chairman, said: "If left unchecked the expected growth in supermarket forecourts would kill off 1,000 independents over the next four years." He called on the Government to "curb the expansion" of supermarket forecourts by ensuring forecourt planning decisions took account of the impact on existing businesses.