Using knowledge that he had gained while working at Spar, Colin Graves set up the rival franchise chain Costcutter in 1986. The company now has a network of more than 1,400 franchises, mainly in Britain but also in Ireland and Poland. Many shops are located in the high street, but Costcutter is opening a growing number on petrol-station forecourts. The central group takes fees of 1% of sales from its franchises, hence the slim margins on sales of £383m in 2003.