Industry experts have slammed MPs after they voted in favour of the tobacco display ban. The move came as the Health Bill worked its way through the House of Commons yesterday. In addition, MPs voted to ban the sale of tobacco from vending machines – as a new clause this will have to go back to the Lords to be voted on.

ACS (the Association of Convenience Stores) has expressed concern over the Conservative Party’s proposals to make sweeping changes to the current alcohol licensing regime. The measures, laid out by Shadow Home Secretary Chris

Fraud involving UK credit cards fell 23% to £232 million in the first half of 2009 compared to the same period last year. The figures, from banking trade body Financial Fraud Action UK, showed that criminals had been switching to targeting foreign-issued cards.

Patrick Sewell and David Craven-Jones of the Hull-based Sewell Retail Group

Brian Madderson (pictured above) is been appointed as the new non-executive chairman of the Petrol

The car is still the most important mode of transport, according to an AA analysis of the Government's latest National

Do you think the 2p duty hike will mean lower fuel volumes for your business?

Drivers cashed in on cheap fuel after a technical hitch meant a Tesco site sold fuel at 40p per litre for nearly a week.

MRH (GB) subsidiary Pace Fuelcare has re-designed and refreshed the Pace brand for its dealer business.

Waitrose c-store plan

A conman managed to help himself to £3,000-worth of fuel from a forecourt in an elaborately-planned, six-day

Surrey retailer S Satha has rebranded the store on his Jet forecourt in Chertsey as a Spar.

Wilson Girvan has switched his Fort Augustus store from Spar to Londis to match his award-winning forecourt store at Aberfeldy, run by his son Blair.

Londis is improving its supply chain efficiency with a new fleet of environmentally-friendly lorries. The multi-million pound 72-piece fleet will supplement the existing distribution fleet and be phased into circulation over the next two months. Chilled produce is a key focus for Londis as it embarks on a re-launch of its entire fresh range. All the new vehicles have facilities for chilled merchandise including fresh meat, fruit and vegetables, traditional dairy, cooked meats and ready meal products.

Many congratulations to everyone at Sewell Retail, and especially to Patrick and David, our new holders of the Forecourt Trader of the Year trophy. What a success story for them, with three of the company's sites winning top awards, and a fourth coming very close. (Full coverage starts on page 39).

The Association of News Retailing (ANR) has vowed to keep fighting for a review of the newspaper and magazine distribution industry following its

GENERAL APPEARANCE: On Cottingham Road at what must be the geographic centre of Corby, is a recently-opened Applegreen site owned by Irish independent Petrogas. Petrogas has more than 50 filling stations in Ireland and has announced that it is looking to open 100 sites across the UK.

The EKW PAYEPeople Annual Forecourt Wages Report 2009

The Big Issue

Every now and then a new forecourt development emerges that raises the bar just a little bit higher. The launch of George Hammond plc's reconstructed Dover South

For Oonagh Gilfillan, small really is beautiful. As general manager at Power Petroleum she deals with 150 fuel retailers, most of whom are sole operators. And according to Gilfillan, that's what makes the job so enjoyable.

Recent research by Harris International Marketing (Him) revealed that 16% of all customers said that buying a newspaper is the primary reason for visiting a store. And, according to the Him Convenience Tracking Programme 2007, additional purchases are then usually made in the confectionery, tobacco, lottery and soft drinks categories. Yet, for many forecourt operators, the news category is difficult to manage and therefore difficult to get the best profits from.

With the economic road ahead still looking rocky, it's more important than ever to use the latest epos to beat the competition. That's according to Richard Quarmsby, managing director at Torex Petroleum and Convenience, who warns that retailers should look at the greater savings that epos can bring to their business during the credit crunch rather than dwelling on the initial cost.

There's no doubt that many consumers are feeling the pinch so Christmas might not quite be the spending orgy it has been in recent years, but it definitely won't be cancelled. More mums might go to Iceland this year rather than M&S but there will still be a feast come December 25. And shoppers' reliance on their local store will still be there.

You can't smoke a cigarette without a lighter or matches. Likewise you can't make a roll your own cigarette without papers. These items the lighters, matches and papers are often forgotten when you think about the multi-billion pound cigarette market but they have an important part to play.

VSG has been working to improve a number of security issues at BP sites around the UK. According to the company, this includes introducing a 'profit protection' scheme with manned guarding as well as the appointment of two regional and one national profit protection managers.

Signwaves has introduced new wall and pavement signs for The National Lottery as part of Camelot's £16.5m investment in refreshing its permanent point of sale. About 6,000 of the 'bubble' pavement signs, 5,500 Ecoflex pavement signs and 15,000 wall signs are being distributed around the UK.

Refrigeration company ISA (UK) is launching a chilled multi-deck cabinet range featuring new technology which it says offers big energy savings.

Software firm CV Retail is targeting UK forecourt operators with its online accountancy service CounterBooks. The company says it aims to give retailers an 'up-to-the-minute overview of the whole business' by not just looking at the profit margins on sales but the overall profitability of the business.

Husky says it has given its long-established bottle and snack cooler range a major eco upgrade.

Sales of sports and energy drinks in the UK are racing towards the £1bn mark according to Mintel's new Sports and Energy Drinks UK 2009 report. This reveals that sales increased by 51% between 2004 and 2008. And last year sales grew by 10%, to reach £941m.

Cadbury has added Cadbury Dairy Milk (CDM) Caramel Nibbles to its bitesize range.

United Biscuits is promising retailers a 'must stock' range of festive snacks.

Walkers has relaunched its Max range with new packaging for better shelf standout, the removal of MSG, artificial colours and preservatives, as well as a new flavour.

Ginsters is relaunching its 180g individual boxed pies with new packaging and two new additions.

GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) is launching Lucozade Alert Plus energy shots backed by a £6m spend.

JTI is bringing Winston, its number one global flagship brand, to the UK. According to Euromonitor data, Winston is the world's number two best-selling cigarette so JTI reckons it has great potential in the UK. It is available now in the Greater London area.

Budgens has introduced a number of value-for-money £1 price points across its own-label bakery range. Deals include crusty white roll four-pack down from £1.29 to £1; demi baguettes three-pack down from £1.19 to £1; and Belgian buns twin pack down from £1.19 to £1.

Coca-Cola Enterprises is running an on-pack Party Potions promotion across Fanta, Sprite and Dr Pepper 2ltr bottles and 150ml single cans for Halloween.

BAT UK has launched Pall Mall 19s. With a rrp of £4.17, the packs aim to offer smokers a quality brand at a lower price. The company says there is also a new pack design.

Jacob's Creek says it has responded to customer demand for smaller-sized bottles with the launch of 50cl versions of its Three Vines range. The bottles have a rrp of £4.99.

Autoglym has added the new Rapid Detailer spray to its car care range. It is designed to remove light dirt, restore showroom shine and add a layer of protection. Rrp is £7.99.

Exxonmobil is giving Forecourt Trader readers the chance to win a limited-edition print of Lewis Hamilton.

Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) has launched a new intense energy drink, the Relentless Shot.

Procter & Gamble says it is targeting a younger audience with new Pringles Xtreme.

Premier Foods says it is rejuvenating the individual pot desserts sector with the launch of two new Ambrosia ranges: Crumble Puds and Jelly Puds.

I wake up every weekday morning with Sarah Kennedy my wife Stella doesn't mind as she quite likes her. My Blackberry and my wife rule my life, but only because I let them. The Blackberry alarm is set for 6.30am, seven days a week. Monday to Friday are school-run days. Not quite like Groundhog Day, but similar.