The fuel supply chain is going through incredible change, but change drives opportunity and creates a level playing field, Greenergy chief executive Andrew Owens told an audience of the UK’s biggest independent fuel retailers.

Owens was the guest speaker at this year’s Top 50 Indies dinner, where Forecourt Trader editor Merril Boulton revealed the highlights of this year’s list.

The changing structure of the market means now more than 80% of the fuel supply market is a merchant market, as a consequence of most of the major oil companies closing and selling off their refineries, explained Owens.

"That means everyone’s a buyer and a seller, so fair market value and transparency are established for all." He said the changes benefited everyone, not just the bigger players.

"The age of the independent dealer is upon us," claimed Owens. "Entrepreneurship and business acumen are the root cause of all success and these characteristics are found in spades in the indies.

"There is no reason why independent dealers cannot have the best fuel supply chains taking into account format, price, service, reliability and working capital and I’ll do my bit to try and deliver on this."