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.

For those operators wanting to expand the shop side of their business there is the new Forecourt Retailing @ IFFE section where companies will be showing off items that are particularly suited to the petrol retailing environment.

There is also the Convenience Retailing Show, which will be right next door. Here visitors can catch up with the likes of Allied Bakeries, Arla Foods, Bobby’s Foods, Ginsters, Hovis, Landmark Wholesale, Londis, Pork Farms, Procter & Gamble, Unilever, Walkers Snacks and Warburtons.

For those wanting to find out more about the burgeoning energy drinks/shots sector there is an exceptional line up including: 5 Hour Energy, All Day Energy, Boost Drinks, Crunk Energy Drink, Hell Energy, Pussy Drinks and Voltz.

And Caffe Society, Coffee Nation, Coffee Treats, Simply Coffee and Tchibo will represent the all-important drinks-to-go sector.

New for 2010 is the co-located Off Licence Show where exhibitors include Diageo and Fosters EMEA.

What’s new at IFFE 2010?

There will be loads of new products to check out at IFFE. These include:

l European Wash Systems (Stand B253) will be showing off its new touchless wash. The Ceccato D1 is described as ’the world’s first touchless wash that delivers a truly impressive performance’. Washing with water, chemicals and a patented swing arm, the unit is extremely thorough but gentle. The company says this is a new creation rather than an adapted gantry. Also on show will be a new conveyor. Called the Minimax, it is described as ’the world’s shortest most compact high output conveyor’, washing up to 30 vehicles an hour in a wash bay of just over 9m.

l Wilcomatic (stand F261) will be launching several new car wash and jet wash chemical products. These include polymer fragranced foams, waxes, wheel cleaners and traffic film removers. These products have been designed to enable forecourt operators to offer a higher quality wash experience to their customers.

l New to the UK from Car Wash UK (stand C249) is the Aquarama range of machines. Also on show will be the Polish Express, designed to drive additional revenue from jet wash bays.

l Tate Consumables (stand C241) will be exhibiting the new Kolor Kut water-finding paste a colour-changing paste which detects water in oil.

l Air1, (stand D245) together with Moto, is developing an extensive network of motorway services that offer AdBlue from the pump so dual fuelling will be possible.

l TIME2 (stand D267) will be exhibiting its new employee clocking software complete with a full range of biometric clocking terminals.

l Gulf (stand C251) is now owned by GB Oils and as such is known as Gulf GB Oils. You can find out all about this on the stand. The company says its dealers benefit from greater customer choice with improved margins to maximise sales and profits. In addition, the award-winning Gulf in-store consultancy programme has been improved and now offers a free initial consultation to retailers. The combined operation (Gulf and GB Oils) is now the UK’s largest independent forecourt operator with over 900 sites. Improved benefits to Gulf customers as a result of the tie-up include a nationwide distribution network from a company fleet of 600 tankers.

l Edensure (stand E258) is exhibiting for the first time at IFFE since it was purchased by Brulines. Edensure will use IFFE to relaunch its patented, real-time transaction-based stock loss analysis solution, which is now underwritten by environmental insurance from Chubb.

What’s new at CRS 2010?

There will be loads of new products to check out at the Convenience Retailing Show everything from a pizza vending machine to all the latest energy shots.

l On the Kingsmill stand (H290), visitors can check out new Kingsmill Oatilicious which is baked with a combination of wholegrain oats and wheat flour, and contains no bits for a ’new taste experience’.

l Food Now (stand C271) is launching a pizza vending machine. This cooks a full size 24cm pizza (from frozen) in just two minutes. The machines can hold four types of pizza but the company recommends retailers start with two pepperoni and margharita. It claims the machines are virtually maintenance free. They accept coins, bank notes and credit cards.

l Coffee Nation (stand G288) will be showcasing the latest addition to its range the Classic Plus+. It’s a hybrid of the company’s original 2G Touch platform. Improvements include cleaning reduced to once a day, plus it is more energy efficient and has been adapted to run on a reduced power supply (13 amp).

l All Day Energy (stand G301) will be showing off its scientifically-developed range of 60ml energy shots. Called i-shots, they are packed with B vitamins, anti-oxidants, amino acids, green tea and Siberian ginseng all aimed at providing sustained energy all day long.

l AHT Cooling Systems (stand G270) will be exhibiting its new Athens range of chest freezers and chillers. The company describes the Athens range as ’ground breaking’ because it uses propane as the refrigerant and as such is the first commercially-viable jumbo cabinet to do so. Propane is free of both CFCs and PFCs. It is also more energy efficient.

l The Jordon Group (stand E278) will be showcasing its latest product lines including its Chilergy system, described as a ’sustainable, cost-effective, energy-saving solution’.

l Nabco Sales (stand B279) is launching a new low voltage LED shelf lighting system. The wireless system means that illuminated shelves can be easily placed wherever they’re required. Nabco says the easy-to-install system offers savings in excess of 65% against traditional fluorescent T5 fittings.

l Card payment specialist RSM 2000 (stand E271) will be showing off its new super-fast broadband payment terminal which it says will cut transaction times in half. The new terminal is fully PCI compliant and features a 10" touch screen with on-screen QWERTY keyboard when required. This makes it ideal for use in forecourts when information such as mileage and registration numbers need to be entered.

l Cash Bases (stand F271) is introducing the SMARTtill Manager, which enables retailers to instantly find out exactly how much cash they have on the shop floor at any one time. More importantly, it can track all cash transactions highlighting any discrepancies as they occur.

l Cummins-Allison’s (stand D296) JetWeigh retail cash settlement system means coins and notes can be counted simultaneously with a printout generated providing all the details of the cash being processed.

l Excessively smoky barbecues are a thing of the past with Magic Carbon (stand B278) the environmentally-friendly (low carbon and low sulphur emission) alternative to traditional barbecue briquettes. The product is recommended by both the British BBQ Team and British BBQ Association.


Free advice at IFFE 2010

Following its successful launch at last year’s show, Take More Make More is back, packed with not-to-be-missed debates and discussions. This is the place where retailers can pick up free advice, hint and tips to build their businesses.

Once again there is a forecourt-specific session. This will take place on Monday March 22 at 11am. Merril Boulton, editor of Forecourt Trader, as well as invited guests, will discuss the latest issues affecting the petrol retailing sector. These forecourt sessions are always very popular so visitors are advised to get there early to grab a seat.

The Take More Make More programme also includes New Product Showcases where new lines will be put under the spotlight. Visitors are promised a big new launch from cash management company Loomis as well as a live interview with Levi Roots, the man behind the super-successful Reggae Reggae sauce. There also several Masterclasses where experts will discuss how to maximise sales in key categories including bread and milk, and fresh and chilled.

Red tape is a burden and a worry for many retailers so there’s a quick guide to the latest legislation affecting small stores. Plus no-one can talk about retail legislation without mentioning tobacco, so there’s a Tobacco Masterclass to bring retailers up to date with all that’s going on in this category.

Other highlights include the popular Working Lunch sessions. There’s one featuring Convenience Store magazine’s C-Store Champions leading independent retailers who share their knowledge and expertise. Others include Making Technology Work for You, and one on the 2010 Shopper, delivered by research consultancy HIM.

For retailers who want to Take More money and Make More profit, then Take More Make More is the place for them. Entry to all the sessions is free but is on a first come, first serve basis.


the lowdown

IFFE 2010 takes place at the Birmingham NEC from March 21-24. It is co-located with no fewer than seven other exhibitions: Convenience Retailing Show, Food & Drink Expo, Foodex, Café+, Baking Industry Exhibition, Off Licence Show and the new Food & Drink Logistics Show, which gives you an overview of the food and drink supply chain.


Opening times

Sunday March 21 - 10am to 5pm

Monday March 22 - 10am to 5pm

Tuesday March 23 - 10am to 5pm

Wednesday March 24 - 10am to 4pm


Special Offers

Make sure you pick up your Discount Voucher booklet.

Offers include:

l Gulf GB oils stand C251

A free prize draw to win a limited-edition copy of Blue & Orange, the history of Gulf in motorsport book. The winner will also receive a pair of tickets to the Le Mans 1000km of Silverstone, which will take place on September 11-12. There will also be a competition to find IFFE’s top racing drivers with bottles of champagne up for grabs.

l Car Wash UK Stand C249

Up to 20% discount on the first five orders for its Polish Express.

l Energy Institute Stand C240

Get a free copy of the Retail Marketing Survey 2010.

l CSC Forecourt Services Stand B250

10% off all forecourt valeting and painting orders booked during the show week (March 21-26).

l TIME2 & EAZYPAYE Stand D267

Win a complete biometric employee clocking system by simply visiting the stand and leaving your business card.

l European Wash Systems Limited Stand B253

Offering a £3,000 introductory discount on any gantry or conveyor wash. Alternatively, buy any rebrush and/or retrack and the company will discount any new system by the same amount if purchased within two years.

l Pace Fuelcare Limited Stand F269

Test your F1 driving skills there are daily cash prizes for the fastest times. Plus talk to Pace about its dealer offer and receive entry into a prize draw for a Red Letter day.

l Wills Gee Stand B261

An F1 racing car competition where the overall winner will get the chance to win a track day.

l Experian Catalist Stand D253

Free prize draw to win PriceViewer for a year. If you’re not lucky enough to win, you can enjoy a 20% discount on all PriceViewer and Dealer Reports ordered during the show.

l Finally, make sure you visit Procter & Gamble’s stand (G271 at CRS) where, to celebrate the launch of its 2010 ShelfHelp category management guide, the company is giving away a new Citroen van. There will also be a daily prize draw at the show, where one retailer will win four cases of Pringles.