Less filling station, more living room: Westfalen’s view to 2035

In this video filmed at UNITI 2026, Dan Munford catches up with Sandra Schütte, Head of Mobility at Westfalen in Germany.

Her 2035 picture is a familiar one to anyone watching the category evolve: the strongest sites looking less like a traditional filling station and more like a curated living room, with a clearly defined food service area where customers can rest while both they and their car refuel. For Westfalen getting there means investing only in sustainable energies, rolling out the Alvore concept, and building charging both on and beyond the forecourt.

Schütte is candid about the near term. EV adoption in Germany is running behind government projections, fuel pricing has become an emotional public debate, and there’s no one-size-fits-all answer across the network – Westfalen has clustered every site A, B or C to decide where to invest, and where the long-term answer may be unmanned. She’s also clear that German foodservice, strong on coffee and breakfast, has a lunchtime gap to close, and that there’s plenty to learn from the UK and the Nordics.