The Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act was passed into law in May this year, slightly under the radar of the impending election. The ‘Consumer’ bit of the Act is clearly underappreciated but has the potential to be a quiet revolution for petrol retailers, warns David Emery a senior associate at law firm Winckworth Sherwood.
Tom Highland had to earn himself a place in his family’s forecourt business by learning a trade, before his father would let him anywhere near taking a job there as a £7 an hour sales assistant. But the tough love has paid off, with Tom given special recognition at this year’s Forecourt Trader Awards for his achievements as managing director of the now four site operator, aged just 32.
I don’t know about you but I was amazed by the number of households that had ‘gone early’ with their Christmas decs this year.
Most weeks you’ll find stories on our website about forecourt operators applying for planning permission, which can be the most frustrating part of developing a forecourt. We talk to several operators who have recently come out the other side.
Like its predecessors, the Competition and Markets Authority continues to call out inflated pump prices blaming weak competition in the fuel retail sector. But like previous watchdog bodies it has also failed to come up with a solution despite its Fuel Finder scheme coming into force next year, argues industry commentator Jan Mikula.
The fifth edition of the Blue Book, the industry bible on petrol station design, construction, modification and maintenance, was launched this month, and forecourt operators thinking of installing electric vehicle chargepoints should give special attention to Chapter 3, urges Jamie Thompson, chair of The Association for Petroleum and Explosive Administration’s technical committee.
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