Safety fears mean that the Buncefield oil terminal in Hemel Hempstead may never be rebuilt. That’s the view of both the Petrol Retailers’ Association (PRA) and the UK Petroleum Industry Association (UKPIA). PRA director Ray Holloway said: “It seems unlikely that Buncefield will ever be rebuilt as it was – its proximity to the developed area around the depot means that the planning authority and safety officers will probably resist any plans to rebuild.”

The £1.5 billion European fuels business, Greenergy International, plans to step up its presence in the UK market as it starts construction of a £13.5 million biodiesel production plant in Humberside.

Trading Standards chiefs say they are delighted with the results of spot-checks carried out on tyre pressure gauges over the Christmas season. Checks were made at 14 different forecourts in Leicester with “the vast majority” of gauges either reading correctly or within accepted tolerances of 10%. This meant that when the ‘master’ gauge used in the tests registered 30psi, the forecourt gauges read between 33 and 27 psi.

The Association of Convenience Stores has pledged to fight on behalf of retailers, following evidence of aggressive test purchasing practices by police and trading standards officers in Essex and Liverpool.

Petrol forecourts are falling behind other retail sectors in the customer service stakes, according to a new report. Encouragingly, however, they rank ahead of supermarkets.

More than 50 companies will be exhibiting at the International Fuel and Forecourt Equipment Show (IFFE) at the NEC, Birmingham, from March 19-22. This year’s show sees the return of IFFE as an annual event and will provide an unrivalled opportunity to source new products and business solutions, discuss key industry issues and meet influential industry bodies. Forecourt Live will be a main attraction, featuring a series of informative presentations and discussions on hot topics.

January

On a normal day the Buncefield depot (Hertfordshire Oil Storage Ltd) provides the UK with 5% of its road fuel. But in the early hours of Sunday, December 11, 2005, that all changed. An explosion, and subsequent fire which lasted four days, destroyed around 20 tanks holding three million gallons of fuel each. Although 5% might not sound much, a large part of that figure supplied the busy local areas of London and the Home Counties.

The multi prize-winning Bellini’s supermarket and BP forecourt is situated on the busy main road between Ilkeston and Heanor and opposite the Ilkeston Community Hospital.

We mentioned last month the challenge faced by many retailers today of finding the time to keep proper bookkeeping records, on top of all the other duties they’re expected to perform. The response from retailers is best summed up by one comment: “I sometimes feel that I could only do all of the jobs I am expected to do if I were an octopus”. In other words, the retailer would need eight arms to be able to juggle his roles between sites – although presumably, even then, he’d need more than 24 hours in a day to do so.

I took an awareness trip in December deep into the murky world of Chip & PIN courtesy of Gerald Wooding who is responsible for card acceptance across the Texaco network.

While independent dealers suddenly seem the height of fashion with many major oil companies, they have long been a focus of the Gulf brand, which returned to the UK three years ago.

Standards in the neighbourhood category of the Forecourt Trader of the Year 2005 awards were extremely high, with two sites winning awards for the second year running. It showed that retailers haven’t let their success allow them to become complacent.

Tanks and pipework might make up the unseen part of the forecourt, but nothing is more integral to the successful operation – and safety – of the site. Tanks and pipes are governed by strict regulations, which mean retailers must keep an up-to-date written risk assessment of underground equipment and commit to maintain it.

It’s been another challenging year for the tobacco industry as the legislative pressures pile on, but the category continues to do well and not least on forecourts.

A DVD rental ‘business in a box’ has been launched by Original Video UK.

The British Security Industry Association (BSIA) has issued new guidance for end-users to help them ensure that their digital CCTV images can be used as evidence in court. The BSIA Code of Practice aims to assist in the specification, selection, installation and operation of digital video recording equipment.

The British Security Industry Association (BSIA) has issued new guidance for end-users to help them ensure that their digital CCTV images can be used as evidence in court. The BSIA Code of Practice aims to assist in the specification, selection, installation and operation of digital video recording equipment.

Car wash manufacturer Istobal has recently appointed Dave Lindon as its new business development director.

An intelligent POS safe is now available in the UK through Solutions Direct.

Business Computer Projects (BCP) has linked up with Avery Berkel to launch a fully integrated POS and weighing solution.

Wrigley is extending two of its top-selling brands this month.

Bord Na Mona, the Irish supplier of instant winter fuel brands for real fires, is stepping up its trading relationships and distribution channels in the UK following a successful launch last year.

Cadbury Creme Egg, the best-selling chocolate snacking product between January 1 and Easter, is back in stores.

New company Visorvision has launched the V2 Sponge pocket pack for motorcyclists.

United Biscuits UK is investing £3m in the relaunch of its healthier beacon brand Go Ahead. This includes a new logo and packaging design, as well as expansion into the bagged snacks category with two new low-fat ranges – Crinkly crisps and Crispy Bites. The Yoghurt Breaks range will also be extended with the addition of a new strawberry variant and a new cereal bar, apricot Fruit Tops is also being introduced.

United Biscuits UK is investing £3m in the relaunch of its healthier beacon brand Go Ahead. This includes a new logo and packaging design, as well as expansion into the bagged snacks category with two new low-fat ranges – Crinkly crisps and Crispy Bites. The Yoghurt Breaks range will also be extended with the addition of a new strawberry variant and a new cereal bar, apricot Fruit Tops is also being introduced.

A new range of individually-wrapped doughnuts has been launched by Kitchen Range Foods.

Britvic Soft Drinks is bringing further innovation to the cola sub-category with the launch of Pepsi Max Cino. The new variant combines the no- sugar maximum taste of Pepsi Max with a shot of cappuccino flavour and is available in 500ml and 2ltr bottles and 6x330ml can multipacks.

Glendale is promoting its newly enlarged Yankee snacking range for block merchandising and multi-buy promotions.

Walkers is extending its Heads brand with the launch of Cheese Heads, a healthier baked snack with no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives.

Coca-Cola Enterprises has launched a major promotional push for its sugar-free and Z (Zero Added Sugar) ranges of drinks.

Unilever UK Foods has launched its Vie Shot range in a single pack format. Vie Shot is a mini health drink containing fruit and vegetables to help consumers reach the recommended five-a-day target. Vie Shot Singles is aimed at people on the go and is available in apple-carrot-strawberry and banana-pumpkin-kiwi varieties.

FIRST OF ALL LET ME give credit where credit is due. A few months back I was pretty scathing about the way the oilers had mishandled the effects of the fuel non-protest protest. On the basis that it was a foreseeable event, I had asked where were the contingency plans and whatever had happened to the pro-active style of management? Well, along comes Buncefield and at last we see management earning its stripes. Now I’m not near the terminal, so maybe I’ve got a distorted view of the situation in the aftermath of the explosion, but considering how tight the whole supply chain has become in our industry, the effect on my deliveries has been far less than I would have anticipated.