There was one thing the rural and motorway entrants to the Forecourt Trader of the Year Awards 2009 had in common very high standards. Yet again the sites that stood out showed that the retailers knew their market and were prepared to change, grow and do all they could to cater for this market.

Best Confectionery Outlet sponsor NestlÉ

Independent Dealer 10 sites or more

Site with a licence to sell Alcohol

Manager Edward Prosser has been busy making changes at the Harry Tuffins site which was the overall winner in the Main Route category in Shropshire in the past year. One of the main changes is the newly-built glass atrium at the front of the store which now houses hot food, food-to-go, coffee and a range of plants. Edward, manager since the site opened at the beginning of 2007, says the latest addition has proved a success with the site's wide range of customers.

Ask most people to point out the exact position of Hull on a map and their fingers will probably waver somewhere vaguely over the north east. "We're 60 miles from anywhere really," admits Patrick Sewell, managing director of family-run Sewell Retail, which is based in the city.

Seventy thousand lines across more than 40 categories is what Palmer & Harvey's Plus Extra third-party drop-shipment scheme offers forecourt retailers.

Recent research by Harris International Marketing (Him) revealed that 16% of all customers said that buying a newspaper is the primary reason for visiting a store. And, according to the Him Convenience Tracking Programme 2007, additional purchases are then usually made in the confectionery, tobacco, lottery and soft drinks categories. Yet, for many forecourt operators, the news category is difficult to manage and therefore difficult to get the best profits from.

Palmer & Harvey (P&H) launched its Partnership Plus programme last year to provide a 'total category management' service for convenience stores and forecourts.

When Top 50 independent fuel retailer - Motor Fuel Group (MFG) -decided to redevelop the shops on two of its newly-acquired sites, the decision to assign them to Palmer & Harvey's (P&H's) new Mace symbol package was a no-brainer. "We have a long-standing association with P&H, but in particular a close working relationship with the company's account manager Julian Howitt," explains MFG's joint managing director Sharad Raja, known to everyone as Raj. "He was a key reason we decided to go to Mace on both sites, and while it's still early days, we are very pleased with the results so far."

It's that time again - the Forecourt Trader of the Year Awards 2009 are well under way. This year's '70s-themed award ceremony takes place at the London Hilton on Park Lane Hotel on September 24. Tickets cost £210 each or £1,900 for a table of 10. Call 01293 846587 or email helen.law@william-reed.co.uk

Up until a year ago, Palmer & Harvey (P&H) viewed itself as a very efficient traditional wholesaler and that was all - but now that's changed. P&H says it has enhanced its market-leading delivery capabilities by offering complete, tailored solutions for its retail partners - and those include many forecourts.

You know you're a 'Super Trouper', looking to make lots of 'Money, Money, Money', so you could be the 'Winner (who) Takes It All' at the '70s-themed Forecourt Trader of the Year awards ceremony at the London Hilton on Park Lane Hotel on Thursday, September 24.  Visit the awards website

If you think you've got what it takes to win the prestigious Forecourt Trader of the Year award then now's the time to prove it. If your site is worthy of such an accolade then what are you waiting for? 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 this top prize. The awards are now in their 13th year, and the list of winners reads like a who's who of the industry. These are the people who put their heart and soul into their businesses and there's no reason why you can't join them.

== winner Gulf Retail Store Consultancy Programme ==

== Impulse Ice Cream Outlet sponsored by Wall's ==

There was stiff competition in both the rural and motorway categories at this year's awards, and the judges were impressed with the very high standards from entrants.

== Best food-to-go outlet - sponsored by Bake & Bite ==

Philip and Lesley Tout walked away with plenty of accolades for their Budgens Nailsea store at our Awards, including the prestigious Forecourt Trader of the Year award as well as Best Independent with nine sites or less, and category winner for the Best Neighbourhood site.

== Best confectionery outlet - sponsored by NestlÉ ==

Tates Spar Battlefield, Shropshire, opened 18 months ago and is Tates' flagship site. It recently got a new store manager, Sharon Stanley, who took over from David Hammond after he was promoted internally.

== Site with a licence to sell alcohol ==

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.