Total has come under fire by some of its commission operators for the way it handled the re-organisation of its company-owned network. One said he felt kept in the dark about the future of his business for too long. With most sites now being run in clusters by large dealer groups - so-called ’super com-ops’ - there are rumoured to be only 28 original com-ops left, although Total would not confirm this.

Another com-op said: "I didn’t receive anything official from Total - except a letter terminating my contract - and was only told what was going on when I finally requested a meeting."

However, Total says it did its best to openly communicate with retailers. Marco Pannunzio, Total’s dealer and commissions operations manager said: "We worked hard to present a number of replacement job opportunities." He said over 75% of those affected had found alternative jobs within the new structure.

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