Total UK has pleaded guilty at the Old Bailey to charges relating to the Buncefield

Shell has reversed its ban on poppy appeal collections at its petrol stations. The oil company has also apologised to any customers upset by its original decision not to allow the collection boxes to be put on display at its sites. The announcement came after reports that forces veterans were threatening to boycott Shell over the ban.

The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has called for retailers to get equal treatment with doctors and nurses when those convicted of violent attacks

Total has revealed it is adding new LPG facilities at five of its company-owned forecourts due to the increased popularity of LPG in previously converted sites. The oil company said

TomTom and digital signage company Amscreen have announced a sponsorship deal aimed at providing millions of motorists with up-to-date traffic information via TomTom’s HD Traffic.

Bottled water sales have suffered in recent years with the credit crunch causing consumers to revert to tap water. However, Mintel says its latest

Park Garage Group has been nominated for one of the prestigious Lloyds TSB Jewel Awards, an annual event which celebrates Asian business achievement

Retailers are bracing themselves for significant business rate hikes after the new rateable values were issued by the

Watford Gap Services turned 50 today, celebrating by selling cups of tea at 1959 prices – and even getting its own musical. The infamous site was the UK's first motorways service area when it

Tebay Motorway Service Station has gained a top food award – the British Academy of Gastronomes' annual Grand Prix of Gastronomy. The Grand Prix is

Total UK has submitted plans to Dacorum and St Albans Borough Councils to rebuild the remaining part of the Buncefield oil complex in Hemel

Retail managers are dangerously underestimating the health and safety risks of sign installation and maintenance and their own liability,

A team of intrepid walkers from Park Garage Group (PGG) have raised £6,000 with a sponsored climb up Ben Nevis.

UKPIA rural warning

Euro Garages has reported a 5% year-on-year rise in fuel and retail sales

Total is the UK's first petrol retailer whose fuel cards can be used on the M6

Bexhill Garage on Barnhorn Road in Bexhill-on-Sea has recently re-opened as a Jet site after standing derelict for five years.

Spar has launched a new shop concept called Spar Express on six forecourts in

This seems to be one of those times (there have been others!) when everything comes to a head, and petrol retailers could be forgiven for thinking someone's out to get them. This month's issue kicks off with the expected, but nevertheless, grim news about business rates. It seems to hit the majority of retailers right where it hurts because those in the three to seven mlpa category bear a "disproportionate burden", according to one forecourt rating specialist. Shop sales are capped at £2 million, working nicely in favour of the supermarket operators. Great.

Do you find current practices in the newspaper and magazine distribution industry restrictive to the development of this area of your business?

The next two months will help shape the future of tobacco retailing. Retailers

GENERAL APPEARANCE: Otterbourne is a village just north of Eastleigh and south of Winchester. In the centre of the village is a thriving enterprise that offers services from a forecourt with shop and post office, through to MOT testing, vehicle hire and even scuba diving! The MOT and service bays, forecourt and shop were busy.

Are all your employees entitled to work here?

How clean are your tanks?

Ask most people to point out the exact position of Hull on a map and their fingers will probably waver somewhere vaguely over the north east. "We're 60 miles from anywhere really," admits Patrick Sewell, managing director of family-run Sewell Retail, which is based in the city.

What has been touted as the most exciting project for the Texaco brand in 10 years has now come to fruition in Cardiff. St Mellons Service Station on Newport Road has became one of the first locations worldwide for the launch of Chevron's new Texaco forecourt image.

The run up to Christmas is usually far from a holiday for retailers. These are the busiest few weeks of the year for sales but the festive season also means an increase in some negative aspects of the business such as crime.

Time was when automotive fuel led a relatively simple life flowing in and out of various tanks without too much concern for its contents. Then the lead was taken out. Then the sulphur. Then came a complex web of eco-driven legislation which is currently driving many of those concerned to among other things sigh rather dramatically when questioned on the subject.

Ask any convenience store retailer who is open on Christmas Day what his customers are buying and all will mention batteries. The run up to Christmas is definitely the season for buying batteries to power all those toys and MP3 players and remote controls. Your forecourt might not be open on Christmas Day but you can definitely cash in by making sure you're in stock and ready for the pre- and post-Christmas rush.

Seventy thousand lines across more than 40 categories is what Palmer & Harvey's Plus Extra third-party drop-shipment scheme offers forecourt retailers.

Mabco Petroleum has been working with Indigo Media to find a way of using its former Big Media Group screen. The screen at the retailer's Lancashire Hill site in Stockport was left redundant after Big Media went into voluntary liquidation. According to Indigo Retail, Mabco managing director Usman Patel spoke to the epos technology provider about the problem and discovered he was able to run content using the existing screen and PC for less than £50 a month (after the initial set-up fee).

Moto Hospitality has appointed G4S Cash Services to provide cash collection and delivery services. The three year contract started this summer making G4S the sole provider to Moto's 58 sites.

UK POS has launched an Independent Point Of Sale Starter Kit as part of its 20th anniversary celebrations.

Geoff Thomasson (pictured below), chief executive of chiller company Husky, has these festive chiller tips:

Pantheon has recommended that retailers invest in its heavy duty PSK soup kettle this winter.

Sweet-toothed Brits spends more money on chocolate than any other country in Europe, according to research from Mintel's Global Market Navigator (GMN), which revealed that the UK consumed £3.5bn-worth of chocolate last year. Only Germany, which has 20 million more people than the UK, came close to our spend with £3.4bn in 2008.

Red Bull has become the latest manufacturer to launch an energy shot.

Lindt has launched its new Magical Milk Bar for Christmas 2009. Aimed at shoppers looking for stocking fillers or just an indulgent treat, Lindt says the bar is filled with "a luxurious and creamy milk filling". With a rrp of 69 for a 40g bar, the product comes in outers of 24.

Powerade is running an on-pack promotion giving away iPod Shuffles. Coca-Cola Enterprises says the move is designed to get customers exercising as part of their partnership with the Great Events Series and Take to the Streets.

Nestlé Confectionery is adding a retro Smarties egg to its range for next Easter, complete with a mug. Graham Walker, Nestlé UK trade communications manager, says: "In tough times consumers are reassured by products that they remember from when they were young."

Mars is sponsoring the England football team. The five-year deal initially sees the Mars brand become the Official Supplier to England until July 2010, when it will become a Supporter of the England team.

Target Energy Shots has launched a new pink product aimed at the younger female market.

Reckitt Benckiser has introduced a new design for Strepsils, which it says is its first product aimed at the impulse market.

GSK is throwing some hefty investment behind its new Beechams Ultra All In One range, including a TV ad with sumo wrestlers representing cold and flu symptoms.

Hancocks has launched three varieties of sweet tubes to retail at £1. The company says the exclusive tubes of dolly mix, mini allsorts and jelly beans give retailers a 31% margin.

Voltz has signed a deal with franchisor Card Connection, which means the energy drink brand will now be delivered to 15,000 retail outlets nationwide, including Spar and Shell.

Southern Comfort is backed by new TV advertising celebrating its New Orleans' roots. Limited-edition gift packs will also be available exclusively for independent retailers.

Portable power has become an essential element of everyday life for consumers across the UK, according to Duracell. The company says that the way this power is consumed is critical in understanding the evolution of the battery marketplace, while retailers need to remember that more than 40% of their annual battery sales will take place in the run up to Christmas.

To create awareness of the Walkers Nonsuch range of toffees, the company is giving away five cases each containing 48 x 150g bags of traditional toffee.

The Easy-fill can has been specially designed to prevent over-filling of fuel tanks and other equipment.

This winter, Coca-Cola Enterprises Ltd (CCE) says it is tapping into the seasonal spirit with new campaigns for three of its brands.

Joe and I get to the office for about 8.45 am. Joe is my eldest son and has been working with me for about 10 years. I have never worked long hours. I finish about 5.30pm and never work at the weekends. I suppose if I had been driven in the way of, say, Gerald Ronson and worked most of the time I would have been more successful. That was never an option. I earn money to have a good family life and have enough leisure time for my interests which are Manchester United, bridge, wine, travel, good food, antiques, holidays in France and, of course, my wife, four children, and five grandchildren (that list is not necessarily in any order of priority!).