While major oil companies tend to hog the headlines with their various activities - sometimes good, sometimes bad - some of the smaller players in the market enjoy less of the limelight. One such company is ConocoPhillips - with its Jet-branded, dealer-only network - which, according to the company's dealer business manager, Patrick Hudson, has been busy working away seemingly behind the scenes, but focusing strongly on its core market of 'locally-based' service stations. Its network has 425 Jet dealer sites - that's more dealers than Shell (309), Esso (265), and Total (341).

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Last summer's floods taught the industry one very important lesson: invest in a good insurance policy, or be prepared to pay the penalty. And those retailers who had prepared for the worst and had made sure they had a sturdy insurance policy in place fared best, no doubt heaving a huge sigh of relief that they hadn't just plumped for the cheapest premium.

The NEC was the place to be last month, when visitors flocked to the International Forecourt & Fuel Equipment (IFFE) Show. Event director Matthew Butler explains: "Visitor feedback has been excellent. Petrol retailers praised the exhibition for being the one place where they could catch up with important suppliers under one roof. There was specific praise for all the equipment on show; retailers found this really useful.

The popularity of independent dealers with fuel suppliers has fluctuated over the years - depending on the market and the activities of the major oil companies - but currently they are certainly of great interest to Esso, following the arrival of Karen Dickens last September as executive director, fuels marketing UK & Ireland.

THis year's events will run from Sunday April 6 to Wednesday April 9 and there'll be plenty to get your teeth into, including the best company exhibits, the latest product and industry news, top expert business advice and unique networking opportunities.

If, after IFFE and CRS, you haven't had enough of looking around shows -- there's always Palmer & Harvey's Pro- Retail Exhibition, which runs from April 29 to May 1 at the international Centre, Telford in Shropshire.

When an article appeared in The Grocer at the tail end of last year stating that the Co-operative Group had snapped up another seven forecourt sites, Allen Shepherd's phone did not stop ringing. That's because Shepherd is director of corporate retail at Christie & Co, which had handled the sale for QMP, and the calls were from companies wanting to know why they hadn't been alerted to these sites coming on the market. "That just goes to show how in demand forecourts are," says Shepherd. "The market's so hot that we don't need to go onto the open market. We know what buyers are looking for and we tend to pick out three to six parties and sign them up to a confidentiality agreement."

We're all been told to do our bit to clean up the planet, but what happens if you're keen to sell 'greener' fuels but your supplier isn't? In fact, what if the oil company slaps you with a ban and tells you that you're not allowed to stock biofuels at all? It doesn't sound very environmentally-friendly, especially in today's climate with the government encouraging us to increase our use of biofuels and cut down on fossil fuels.

Dave Kitson stands on his forecourt near Glencoe in Scotland and points down the road towards some intimidating-looking mountains: "The nearest petrol station is 16 miles in that direction," he says, raising his voice to make himself heard over the wind. Or there's one 17 miles in the other direction. If they're both closed, you have to carry on to Tyndrum - but that's about 30 miles from here. And 30 miles is a long way on these roads when it's blowing a gale and the snow's starting to fall."

The recent floods will have resulted in retailers across the country frantically checking the finer details of their insurance policies.

If you have a thriving business - or even better, a string of them - then fundraising won't be a problem. In fact you are probably familiar with the process and may even have a finance director to rustle up the readies.

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Independent forecourt operators have become the target of management teams at Londis and Budgens following an extensive review of the positioning of both brands.

Buying what they want, when they want it, is top of customers' shopping lists - but still many of them don't manage this simplest of tasks. According to research company HIM's latest survey of 30,000 people, 7% failed to make a purchase during their visit to a c-store or forecourt, compared with 5% last year.

Biodiesel in some form or other is here to stay - if only to reduce the UK's dependency on petroleum - so we might as well take the time to understand the pros and cons of using this fuel and the cautions that apply.

Promoting retail excellence is the theme of this year's Pro-Retail show, with the organisers keen for retailers to adopt best-practice techniques to promote a professional business approach and drive profitability.

Visitors flocked from far and wide for the three-day International Forecourt and Fuel Equipment (IFFE) show at Birmingham's NEC last month. Running alongside the Convenience Retailing Show (CRS), the event gave retailers the chance to check out the latest products and equipment for both the forecourt and the shop.

As Gulf Retail puts the finishing touches to its preparations for its appearance at the International Fuel and Forecourt Equipment Show, managing director Keith Jewers, reflects on a very successful year for the brand.

Running alongside IFFE 2007, the Convenience Retailing Show will feature more than 200 big-name companies showcasing their latest innovations for the c-store sector.

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the forecourt property market is buzzing with activity at the moment, with competition for sites fiercer than ever and prices spiralling to match. In fact, John Coulling, associate director of motor trade and roadside at Lambert Smith Hampton, describes the market as "on fire" compared to two years ago.

Supermarkets have not exactly been the most popular of organisations among the traditional fuel retailing fraternity - not since the early '90s, when their price-cutting strategies led to a phenomenal period of growth and the capture of one third of the market.

Market rationalisation, declining fuel margins, and diversification into food and drink sales to stay in business. It's a familiar tale - and one that is obviously not bound by oceans. For this is the background to the Canadian petrol station market, where a recent study tour in Toronto - organised by the Association of Convenience Stores - showed how, as in the UK, reinvention and innovation has been the driving force for survival.

Harvest Energy has become the latest name to add to the shopping list of fuel suppliers for independent retailers. Formerly known as Futura Petroleum, the company has been in the UK for 12 years and is a big supplier to most of the major multiples, having already built up a 4% share of the motor fuels market, according to the company's head of sales, Simon Davis, who is leading the launch into the independent sector.

It's nearly two years since Kuwait Petroleum GB was bought by Refined Holdings and became Pace Petroleum, prompting the demise of the Q8 signage on UK forecourts.

Forecourts have come a long way in the past 10 years, with small, basic kiosks being transformed into large modern c-stores, with hot food and quality coffee. Led by oil company investment in high-level offers like Esso's On The Run and BP's Connect, the distinction between the old-fashioned 'oily' filling station and the more appealing grocery-style offer has never been greater.

Service and standards are under the microscope as the Jet brand pursues excellence across its 540-strong dealer network with a programme called 'HI'.

The expertise of independent dealers in running successful 'local' businesses is being sought by Total following a review of its company-owned network.

this year's International Forecourt & Fuel Equipment (IFFE) show will see no less than six oil companies presenting their different retailer offers. BP will be promoting its new Connect Franchise deal by running a real Wild Bean Café in the Networking Lounge. Howard Nunn, BP's franchise development manager, says: "We are hoping to meet both existing fuel retailers and investors looking to purchase a petrol filling station to convert into a BP Connect."