Size matters when it comes to the approach Philip and Lesley Tout have towards their business. Their Esso-branded site in Nailsea, Bristol was the overall winner at the Forecourt Trader of the Year awards ceremony at the London Hilton Hotel, Park Lane, in September. The judges comments included the words 'big, bold and beautiful', and when meeting the Touts for this post-awards interview, Philip agrees they don't do things by halves: "The bigger the better," he confirms. "It's easier being bigger. We've had small garages in the past, but now we're only interested in something that's really good. If it wasn't we wouldn't keep it. After all it's as hard to run a small site as it is to run a big one - you still have the same things to do, but the rewards are less."

'You only live twice' - so why not enter our awards this year, which culminate in a James Bond-themed evening (at the London Hilton on September 25) in recognition of the latest 007 film. And to ensure it's more than a 'Quantum of Solace', you need to make sure your entry is as good as it can be.

So you think you're a top retailer? Then get your pens and cameras out now and start filling in the forms and taking the pictures that will put you in the running for the top award in the petrol retailing industry - Forecourt Trader of the Year.

Chevron's Bright Horizons programme aims to give dealers access to a network of support services. According to the company, there are about 800 directly supplied Texaco-branded sites and 300 supplied via distributors in the network who all have access to the programme.

Michael Johnston has been running the busy Euro Spar, Castle Wellan site in County Down, Northern Ireland for about three years.

Not only were the Frasers named Best Independent with Nine Sites or Less at the Forecourt Trader of the Year Awards back in September, they also picked up the overall category award for Best Neighbourhood site for their Brize Norton Service Station in Oxfordshire.

There was stiff competition in the main route category of this year's Forecourt Trader of the Year Awards.

Being a Fraser must feel a bit like being something of a celebrity in the forecourt industry. The family name is associated with one of the most successful independents in the business, and most major retailers and suppliers will have heard of it.

Past winners of the Forecourt Trader of the Year awards obviously know a thing or two about running a service station business. But they also know how to enter awards - and get themselves noticed.

So you think you're a top retailer? Then get your pens and cameras out now and start filling in the forms and taking the pictures that will put you in the running for the top award in the petrol retailing industry - Forecourt Trader of the Year.

Best oil company initiative - winner

Brackenvale Retail Centre has always been a large site by anyone's standards but now it's "bigger and better than ever", according to manager Sam Hawkes, who collected the latest in a string of accolades at the Forecourt Trader Awards 2006.

Once again the neighbourhood category was one of the most hotly contested at the Forecourt Trader of the Year Awards 2006.

The Brocklehursts have always liked to be first. In 1973 their site was the first in Northampton to go self-service and over the years they have continued to innovate and stay ahead of the competition, racking up a string of further 'firsts' along the way. So when Karl Brocklehurst stepped up to collect the industry's highest accolade at the Forecourt Trader of the Year Awards, the family business was right where it likes to be - firmly in the limelight.

WINNER OIL COMPANY INITIATIVE

Teamwork seems to be the name of the game in the main route category, with two married couples extending their partnerships onto the forecourt with great success.

Standards in the neighbourhood category of the Forecourt Trader of the Year 2005 awards were extremely high, with two sites winning awards for the second year running. It showed that retailers haven’t let their success allow them to become complacent.