It's all change at Pace Fuelcare. In the past year it has changed both its name it was previously known as Pace Petroleum and its head office, which has moved from Staines in Middlesex to new premises in Egham, Surrey.

Many of the biggest names in the business will be gathered at the Birmingham NEC from March 21-24 for this year's International Forecourt & Fuel Equipment Show. Exhibitors include Car Wash UK, Convenience Distribution Group, Dresser Wayne, Experian Catalist, Garage Watch, GB Oils, Gilbarco Veeder-Root, Gulf, Harvest Energy, Indigo Retail Technology, King Tanktechnic, LP Gas, Pace, Petrotechnik and Wilcomatic.

Since the start of the year it seems like not a day has gone by without a political pronouncement on alcohol policy. With the pre-General Election campaign well under way, this to-ing and fro-ing shows no sign of let-up. ACS cuts through the talk and answers the key questions about what this all means for forecourt retailers.

Plenty of demand but not enough supply that seems to be the general opinion of experts on the current state of the forecourt property sector. And there are a wide variety of factors behind this situation.

Like a knight on a white horse Brian Madderson has charged into view to boost the dwindling reputation of the Petrol Retailers Association and give it some direction and leadership.

BACKGROUND

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.

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.

As retailers throughout the land comb every nook and cranny of their businesses looking for different ways to keep costs down, newly-formed property company - Birmingham-based Barber Wadlow - is ensuring they don't miss out on the bigger picture, by offering some guidance on their property costs.

As we fight our way through the recession there seems to be one word on every consumer's lips: value. And according to ConocoPhillips, for the forecourt sector this means competitive fuel prices teamed with the best customer service.

When retailer Ron Perry realised his two petrol stations in Hartlepool were in urgent need of modernisation he had one small problem: how to pay for the work.

An industry-wide consultation, that will set the agenda for local shops into the next General Election and beyond, was announced by James Lowman, chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores, at last month's Summit '09 in Birmingham.

Once again Catalist is pleased to be able to provide Forecourt Trader with the UK summary for its Fuel Market Review 2009. The data shown in the following tables is from Catalist's latest release of its UK database in May for the first quarter of 2009.

A strictly personal view of Mo'gas' musings on the PRA (April 2009) is that, unlike the curate's egg, they were good in parts. Let us not beat about the bush! The PRA's 'state of flux' as it was euphemistically described, is a long overdue attempt to get parts of the organisation fit for purpose and able to operate within their budget. The issue as to whether the PRA should be allied to any other organisation is, in reality, an irrelevance. If the PRA cannot live within the budget determined by the level of its income from its membership, then no other organisation, be it the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers or the Association of Convenience Stores, would be interested in it anyway. And if it can live within its income, it is far better where it is. Within the RMIF there is no risk of a conflict of interest arising from organisations supplying oil companies or their subsidiaries in membership.

It's being touted as the most exciting project for the Texaco brand in 10 years, and is long overdue. A brand refresh, under the title Project Shining Star, is to be piloted later this year ready to begin the rollout at the start of 2010. For everyone involved with the brand it will bring a welcome lift to a tired image. "We recognise the Texaco brand in the UK has been under-invested in for years and we're going to fix that through Project Shining Star," says Rhonda Morris, Chevron's general manager, marketing Europe. "The main purpose of the project is to re-establish Texaco as a premium UK brand."

Visitors flocked to the International Forecourt & Fuel Equipment (IFFE) show at the Birmingham NEC last month.

== Why was the CWA formed? ==

Ron Haacke was last seen as director and general manager of the Petrol Express chain, which had 64 sites and was number six in last year's Top 50 Indies listing.

With significantly more exhibitors than last year, and bigger stands - despite the economic climate - the International Forecourt & Fuel Equipment show (IFFE) 2009 promises to be a must-attend event for all those involved in the petrol retailing sector.

The industry has probably had one of its toughest years ever, with many oil companies battening down the hatches, and keeping a close eye on expenditure. But at Gulf Retail, according to its director Keith Jewers, while the company continues to approach business with its usual prudence and caution, it has not curtailed investment and is continuing to develop new products so that its dealers can benefit.

While all around property prices are crashing, there's one sector where demand is still outstripping supply and prices are holding up quite well. That is, of course, the forecourt sector and while buyers are not prepared to pay 'silly money' for sites any more, they're willing to pay a realistic amount. Mark Frostick, associate at motor trade and roadside at Rapleys, says yes, values have dropped but adds: "I think prices would have come down anyway - they went as high as they were ever going to get. We're definitely at much more sensible levels now." He also reports quite a lot of interest in the market. "Twelve to 18 months ago we were getting 20 bids per site. Now we're down to six to 12 bids per site but that's still very good."

Wow what a season for avid followers of Formula One motor racing - and, come to that, even those who are not remotely interested in motor racing, but are just grateful to see somebody British winning anything at all. And so it was that - up to 13.1 million of us in the UK according to TV reports - were sitting glued to our seats on Sunday November 2 watching the final gripping moments of the Brazilian Grand Prix and what is being touted as one of the most dramatic finishes to an F1 world championship.

"Once someone washes their vehicle in a proper car wash they won't go back to hand washing," insists independent retailer David Charman.

Retailer Andrew MacDonald grins as the queue of drivers snakes its way onto his forecourt.

BP may not be at the top of everyone's Christmas card list following what many described as an "immoral margin cut", announced rather tactlessly by email around the time its record profits were revealed in April.

== Will the changes in the law in Scotland affect my store in England or Wales? ==

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).

== Why has the government proposed to ban or restrict tobacco displays in shops? ==

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.

Imperial Tobacco's trade communications manager answers questions on the smoking ban...

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.

== What is Stage II Vapour Recovery? ==

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."