The chilled and fresh foods category is the last big unexploited opportunity in forecourts, according to Andrew Grant, director of trading (convenience) at Palmer & Harvey (P&H). "The supermarkets do this category superbly well," he says. "Just look at a Tesco Express where half the sales are of chilled lines whereas in some forecourts chilled accounts for just five or 10%." He reckons forecourts should be looking to get 20 or even 25% of their sales from chilled foods. "If you don't invest in chilled you'll never get the sales. Chilled is where the market is going and all the better retailers know this."

Chilled and fresh foods have been pushed to the top of the shopping list as consumers increasingly look for healthier options. And many forecourt-based stores have been improving their ranges as operators seek to take their share of what has become a very profitable market.

Attracting higher spending top-up shoppers should be a key aim for forecourt retailers, according to the Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD), and chilled and fresh is the category that's most likely to draw them to your store. Indeed, 37% of consumers have said that stocking up on fresh foods was the main reason they shopped in between their main grocery shopping trips - second only to replacing things they'd run out of.

With the likes of Sainsbury and Tesco on the forecourt convenience shopping scene, independent operators are increasingly faced with the challenge to develop their fresh and chilled foods offering. And judging by some of the independent sites in the network, many are succeeding too.

If one word has become synonymous with successful food retailing today it’s convenience. Witness the major grocery multiples. A walk down any high street reveals the importance they now place on the channel, as they snaffle up convenience outlets and convert an increasing proportion of their estates to the c-store blueprint.