Wesleyan Assurance Society has teamed up with Be.EV to deliver its first ultra-rapid EV charging hub in Wednesbury.
Visitors to the Wesleyan-owned Gallagher Retail Park, located next door to Gallagher Shopping Park, will benefit from the new 16-bay ultra-rapid charging hub. Gallagher Retail Park is a 50,000sq ft unit containing Decathlon and B&M Retail Ltd stores.
The site, which will be launched next month, will be the largest ultra-rapid charging hub on any retail park in this part of the West Midlands conurbation.
Gallagher Retail Park is located just off J9 of the M6 – one of the UK’s busiest motorway junctions – with an average daily traffic flow of over 140,000 vehicles.
The Retail Park forms part of one of the UK’s most successful out-of-town shopping destinations, adjoining an impressive line-up of retailers at Gallagher Shopping Park. Stores on-site include M&S, Currys, Next, Boots, JD Sports, Nandos, Burger King, KFC and Pizza Hut. These are complemented by IKEA, B&Q and Costa in the locality.
Be.EV specialises in delivering ultra-rapid charging hubs that can charge a typical EV battery from 10% to 80% in under 20 minutes. The hub is expected to appeal to thousands of EV drivers looking for a quick charge and comfort break on long journeys, as well as shoppers and the local community.
Wesleyan is a Birmingham-based UK mutual with £7.6bn of assets under management, including a UK commercial property portfolio worth approximately £450m. The partnership with Be.EV is the first the mutual has undertaken to install EV charging at one of its existing sites and reflects its commitment to innovation and sustainability.
Be.EV is majority owned by Octopus Energy Generation, which has pledged £110m of funding. Be.EV also recently secured £55m in debt finance from NatWest and KfW.
Asif Ghafoor, CEO at Be.EV said: “Wesleyan is a long-established mutual with over 180 years of history. We are delighted that they’ve chosen us to install state-of-the-art EV charging infrastructure at this key site. It forms a core part of our strategy, as we look to expand on our market-leading position in the North West and create a national portfolio.
“We have extensive experience installing and maintaining chargers at retail parks in and around Greater Manchester, which not only serve the local community but also boost retailer income through increased footfall. We’re confident we’ll be able to do the same at Wednesbury and hopefully this partnership will lead to development of more EV hubs for Wesleyan in the UK.
“Our aim is to provide the best customer experience possible when charging, and we can’t wait to do this with such a respected real estate investor at what will be the largest ultra-rapid charging hub in the region.”
Mitchell Spencer, property asset manager at Wesleyan, said: “When we bought the retail unit in 2023, we had a vision from the start to enhance it by offering add-on sustainable and beneficial amenities for all who visit, and we very much had in mind the fact it was so close to a busy motorway network.
“The addition of the EV charging facility will no doubt be a welcome pit stop for electric car drivers visiting the retail park and, more importantly, supports the electric car movement across the UK.”
