Euro Garages is to use the Access SelectPay solution to manage its payroll. Software solutions provider Access said

Tesco has announced it is to slash its pump prices from tonight – joining rivals such as Asda and Morrisons in a fuel price war. The supermarket giant said it would chop petrol and diesel by 2ppl at all its 450 petrol stations in the UK. A Tesco spokesperson added: "We have recently seen an easing of the pressure on world oil prices and as

On his first day as Minister for Transport, Philip Hammond MP vowed to put a halt to Labour’s ‘war on the

The government has announced it will mandate a national recharging network

UKPIA has named Andy Roberts as its new Director of Environment, Health & Safety. Roberts takes over from Ian McPherson, who has retired after

New research from Mintel reveals just 8% of consumers think the election was

Rail and air tycoon Richard Branson topped an AA/Populus poll for the next transport minister, prior to the election

More than 40 of the prospective parliamentary candidates that signed the ACS' Local Shops Pledge have gone on to become MPs, including members

Most independents are still making up their minds on how to vote, according to ACS chief executive James Lowman.

Sweet Charity has announced that its Rowing Challenge has raised £20,000 to help support people from the UK

Irish fuel retailer Topaz has teamed up with Direct Holidays to offer drivers a summer holiday promotion.

Organisers of the May Day weekend fuel protests are reported to be threatening more demonstrations unless

Gulf has announced it has strengthened its presence in South Wales with the recent signing of Washbourne Garage in

This week sees Esso launch a retro World Cup promotion in its sites that allows fans to collect medals featuring

The majority of drivers want the next government to implement tax cuts on fuel, according to a poll by insurer swiftcover.com. The company found

Arval has announced it is capping the fuel price that it applies to its card acceptance rate for independent

‘Emerging Stronger’ was the theme for this year’s annual Londis conference, which reflected on how 2009 had been a 'milestone' year. Musgrave Retailers Partners GB, which operates the Londis

Forecourts featured strongly as winners at wholesaler Palmer & Harvey's gala awards dinner, which took place in

Royal Dutch Shell has announced profits of $4.9 billion (£3.2 billion) for the first quarter of 2010 – a rise of 48% on the same period in 2009. The results came a day after BP also reported bumper

Palmer & Harvey has announced that it has teamed up with fellow wholesaler Makro to form a new buying co-operation called PalMak. According to P&H, the new co-op is designed to offer independent retailers access to scale

The three major tobacco companies in the UK have announced they are to seek a judicial review of the relevant sections of the Health Act 2009 in which the government is looking to impose

With election fever and the leaders' TV clashes gripping the nation, the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has been working to ensure retailer issues remain high on the

The deadline is approaching. It's time to get your cameras and pens out, and start filling in those forms in order to

Shailesh Parekh, proprietor of Molineux Service Station in Wolerhampton, is standing for election as the Conservative parliamentary candidate for Hodge Hill

Whoever wins the next election should be careful not to put too much pressure on the people who can make a difference the entrepreneurs said Gerald

Shell has introduced innovative energy-saving features at 200 petrol stations across the country in a bid to

A man has died after his car caught fire on a filling station forecourt. Security guard Mohan Rooprai had filled up his

The price of fuel on the forecourt might not be nearly as important as many people think. That's one of the findings

Strange old world isn't it? Who'd have thought we'd ever have a reason to put a picture of an erupting volcano on the front cover of a magazine about service stations? Or have cause to write the phrase 'volcanic ash' a couple of words which seem to have now infiltrated the general vocabulary and become the latest excuse for anything that's late or not working properly.

The Icelandic volcano eruption caused chaos for millions of Brits: planes were grounded; travellers were stranded all over the world; and there was even the

GENERAL APPEARANCE: A neat and attractive stone forecourt and shop, the Station Road Garage at Shipton-Under-Wychwood is situated on the A361 between Burford and Chipping Norton. The site on a tricky bend in the road is well signed with a bright Gulf pole and a separate Gulf and Mace shop sign on the side of the building.

A clause to remember

Shailesh Parekh is nothing if not a fighter. He was last seen battling with Esso in the Court of Appeal in 2004 the culmination of a long-running dispute with the oil company. With him were 100 other like-minded retailers, mostly, like him, licensees. They lost the court case and faced huge costs.

You know you've got all the aces up your sleeve, but how can you be sure of winning the game and taking the top prize at the Las Vegas-themed Forecourt Trader of the Year awards ceremony at the London Hilton on Park Lane Hotel on Wednesday, September 22?

IRI sales data for the sugar confectionery market across all trade sectors values it at £1.2bn (down 0.8%) for the 52 weeks ending March 27. However, specialist confectionery cash and carry chain Hancocks reports that its sugar confectionery sales have been extremely buoyant in the past 12 months, mainly due to the massive growth of pick 'n' mix as retailers fill the gap left by Woolworths.

Many of the major grocery multiples have already adopted pay@pump on their forecourts, but for smaller, dealer sites it seems this technology would need very careful consideration. However Andrew Banks, head of petrol and unattended at Verifone, reckons the payment solution can work almost anywhere: "Some forecourts might want to try one pay@pump first as a fast lane or a queue buster to give their customers a choice at very busy times of day like 5pm or 7.30am," he says.

Consumers managed to keep up their thirst for soft drinks last year. Despite the recession and a damp summer, sales in the take-home sector grew 1% in volume and 2% in value to £6.2bn in 2009, according to the 2010 Britvic Soft Drinks Report.

Amscreen has signed two major deals to become the exclusive digital signage partner of both Shell and Esso. Amscreen said its close-proximity signage units would be installed in approximately 580 of Shell's company-owned sites and 350 of Esso's company-owned sites, meaning its forecourt network would now run across over 1,500 locations and deliver to an audience of over 35 million people every fortnight.

All Things Catering has recently launched an online store selling catering equipment.

Inner Space Stations has given the thumbs up to its first touchless car wash from WashTec.

The Cardsave Group has unveiled plans to expand further into the forecourt business and increase its transaction levels.

Payment and loyalty solutions provider HTEC is celebrating three decades in business.

Walkers is echoing the World Cup mood with its own competition The Walkers Flavour Cup. Described as the world's first ever 'crisp tournament', it will see 15 new international flavours battle it out to be crowned the world's best crisp and Walkers Flavour Cup Champion.

The Mars bar is sporting England colours to support the England football team at next month's World Cup. For the first time in the brand's 78-year history, the bars feature a red and white strip inspired by the St George's Cross and the England kit, including the Three Lions crest. Mars Chocolate UK's managing director, Fiona Dawson, comments: "We want to show our support in every way we can and changing our 'kit' is just one way of doing it."

Nestlé has given Kit Kat Senses a stylish new look. Packs retain the Kit Kat red background but the Senses logo has been enlarged and is surrounded by a more feminine swirly design.

A new advertising campaign for Cadbury Dairy Milk (CDM) is under way. Called the Chocolate Charmer, it takes viewers into the "magical world of CDM production" where they see the Chocolate Charmer creating the milk chocolate. The ads emphasise the "glass and a half of fresh milk" message. Cadbury trade communications manager, Kate Harding, says: "With this new campaign we aim to drive sales by reminding consumers of the magic of CDM and supporting it with impactful point-of-sale material to visually prompt shoppers to make the link between the ad on TV and the bars in store."

Magic Tree has launched a new collection called Sentiment, which incorporates natural elements designed to help boost the mood and revitalise the mind. The range includes energy, described as a punchy fragrance with an uplifting effect; relax to encourage a sense of calm; peace, to aid relaxation; and passion, to heighten the senses. Rrp is £1.99 each. Roma Pereira, business development manager at Saxon, the exclusive UK distributor of Magic Tree, says: "The new range has been launched with a younger audience in mind. It has been developed to widen Magic Tree's appeal for use in the home, as well as the car."

Spar (UK) is getting set to make this summer its most sporting ever, with a budgeted spend of more than £2m on promotional support to help Spar retailers back the world's biggest sporting events. Throughout June and July Spar retailers will support the World Cup, European Athletics Championships and Wimbledon with in-store promotional activity on food and drink to target fans watching the events at home. In addition to product-related promotions, Spar will also be producing its largest ever in-store POS kit to ensure in-store theatre is prominent this summer.

In a first for the UK, Red Bull is bringing race-track excitement to its packaging with a new design featuring Red Bull Racing and F1 title challenger Sebastian Vettel. The special-edition multipacks available until July hit the shelves this month in a strategy expected to deliver £1.6m in incremental sales to the sports and energy category. The new design features across four-packs, eight-packs and cash and carry price-marked 24-packs for both Red Bull Energy and Red Bull Sugarfree. As the owner of two F1 teams, Red Bull is the most-seen brand in the sport with a 14.1% share of TV time. Tom Smith, Red Bull trade communications manager, said: "We advise retailers to stock up." 0207 434 0100

Procter & Gamble (P&G) is launching its biggest ever multi-brand campaign. The company says its Collect for Football Fun promotion will run across a range of brands including Ariel, Duracell, Fairy, Head & Shoulders and Pringles. Shoppers collect points and put them towards winning exclusive football freebies for all the family.

Hovis is launching a new Hearty Oats loaf. Baked with 50% wholegrain oats and 50% wheatflour, it is aimed at the healthier breakfast market and has a rrp of £1.34.

New pork snack Wicked Pig is being introduced this summer. It is aimed at 17-35 year-olds and comes in four flavours, including firecracker chilli, and has a rrp of 59p-89p.

Ginsters has launched its '100 Days of Summer' on-pack promotion on pasties and slices, which offers prizes such as surfing lessons and two-for-one entry at theme parks.

A new 12-week TV advertising campaign will support Anchor butter from the middle of this month. The commercials will highlight the heritage of Britain's oldest butter brand.

Coca-Cola Enterprises (CCE) is launching two new Monster variants: khaos and energy shots. The energy shots contain taurine and ginseng.

P&G says it is set to drive growth across the laundry category with the relaunch of its Bold 2 in1 portfolio.

Swan says the 2010 MCE Insurance British Superbikes (BSB) championships is already shaping up to be one of the most exciting in years.

Batteries manufacturer Varta aims to help retailers maximise sales during the World Cup this summer by putting five high-powered football-themed prizes up for grabs.

Write your names, address and phone number on a postcard or sealed envelope stating what you want – Coca Cola, Bold, Swan or Varta  – and we'll do the rest, including delivery. Send it to us at Forecourt Trader, William Reed Business Media, Broadfield Park, Crawley, West Sussex RH11 9RT by May 31, 2010.

My working day normally begins with the school run at just after 8am. My wife Rebecca waves us off before we make the short, but picturesque, journey to Ely. We have to pass the two other Ely petrol stations on our way to school and the children automatically shout out the prices off the pole signs in order to allow me to keep my eye on the road!