Trading in a village location with an industrial estate nearby, Carlton Village Service Station in Barnsley, South Yorkshire, won its Best Site With a Licence to Sell Alcohol Award for the comprehensive range of beers, wines and spirits it sells.

Manageress Iris Naylor says it’s the take-home beers that are really flying off the shelves: "We do well with beer and packs of beers in particular because of the area we are in," she says. "There’s an industrial estate behind the site so the lads come in on their way home from work and pick up a four-pack of beers and maybe a bottle of wine for their wives."

With those customers in mind, the site features a large stacking shelf of multi-packs of beer in the middle of the alcohol section, with regular promotions offered.

Iris says range and presentation is key, adding: "You’ve got to have a good selection of products at good prices and plenty of team work behind you to make sure everything is in place."

Best Car care and lubricants outlet - sponsored by CDG

Pelican Service Station in Whitehaven, Cumbria, is something of an all-rounder when it comes to the car care and lubricants category, and that’s why it took away the Best Care Care and Lubricants Award. Site manager Vivienne Kelly, says: "We’ve got a great range and offer plenty of choice we’re a general all-rounder and do well in all aspects of car care and oils. "We know which products our customers need and we cater to those needs, while taking a pride in how they’re presented on shelf."
Vivienne has a dedicated member of staff who is responsible for the car care category, ensuring that it remains well stocked at all times, and the category contributes about £1,000 to the shop’s weekly turnover.
Right now the focus is on winter-specific products. "It’s all about winter car care now so we’ve got lots of new products in stock and are doing a very good trade," she says.

best display of chilled food - sponsored by ginsters

Jos Richardson & Son’s Longs Corner Service Station in Howden, East Yorkshire is tempting shoppers with an expansive and well-presented range of fresh and chilled foods, with snacking products such as sandwiches, pies and other savoury snacks proving to be the biggest sellers, alongside milk. So it’s no wonder it won the Best Display of Chilled Food Award.
The site’s managing director, Joseph Richardson, says presentation and availability is vital: "Having a big promotion section that hits the customer as soon as they walk in is so important, along with maintaining availability with excellent presentation at all times, while monitoring and managing wastage." Joseph adds that the main challenge is trying to balance the need to keep range and availability good at all times of the day while keeping an eye on wastage. "We record all wastage and seek to control that by analysing sales. We have targets for our wastage as a percentage of shop sales."