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Industry FeatureAquatec Ramsgate setting standards for standalone valeting
The success of valeting has meant that forecourt operators – including Penny on the Move, the Hockenhulls and the Pricewatch Group – are identifying standalone car wash hubs for possible expansion. But what are the challenges of operating these sites we ask the owners of Aquatec Ramsgate.
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Industry FeatureSAFETY FIRST: Best practice for operating unmanned sites
The second of Forecourt Trader’s ‘safety on the forecourt’ features focuses on unmanned sites.
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Industry FeatureSAFETY FIRST: Managing risks from the changing forecourt
In the first of a series of ‘safety on the forecourt’ features, in collaboration with Fuels Industry UK, we look at the main issues facing petrol station operators in a changing energy landscape.
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Industry FeatureCharman’s Parkfoot site charms customers with £900,000 shop refit
Pioneering BP forecourt operator David Charman says customers shopping at his refurbished Parkfoot Garage store in West Malling, Kent, are likening it to Fortnum & Mason. But those in the industry would most likely consider it more akin to some of the leading petrol stations in Northern Ireland, known for excelling with in-house food preparation.
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Industry FeatureDoes BP’s new EV hub herald the future of the forecourt?
As BP officially launches its first EV-only forecourt, we ask if this is the shape of things to come
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Industry FeaturePROFILE: Tout’s returns as contender for Forecourt Trader Awards with big bang projects
From high-end, made in-house food-for-now and ready-to-heat options to an aesthetic clinic and sponsorship of a Wallace & Gromit tourist trail, Jonathan and Zena Tout continue to be pace-setters with their forecourt business, which has been in the family 48 years.
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Industry FeatureReflecting on the road ahead
Six leading industry figures – Zuber Issa, Gordon Balmer, David Charman, Tom Buckley, Tom Highland, and Oliver Blake – share their aspirations for their businesses in 2025, and what they think the year ahead has in store for the industry in general.
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Industry FeatureTECH TALK: Liquefied Natural Gas - the perfect alternative fuel?
In an era dominated by discussions around electric and hydrogen-fueled vehicles, there’s another sustainable fuel option making waves on the market - Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) - according to Joost Jansen, business development manager at Dover Fueling Solutions (DFS).
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Industry FeatureAWARDS: Forecourt Trader Awards win is second time for Tout’s family
Jonathan and Zena Tout were delighted to collect the Forecourt Trader of the Year Award 2023 for Tout’s Cleeve, matching the family’s previous win in 2008.
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Industry FeatureAWARDS: Online vote gives Rob Exelby this year’s Special Recognition Award
Winner of the Forecourt Trader of the Year Award two years ago, Rob Exelby, managing director of Exelby Services, came out top following an online vote, giving him this year’s Special Recognition Award.
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Industry FeatureAWARDS: Winning ways of the Specialist Category winners
This year’s Awards saw a great standard of entries for each of the Specialist Categories, with retailers having to adhere to strict criteria for each of the 14 different awards.
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Industry FeatureAWARDS: Skill, drive and dedication as regional winners drive up standards
In the Regional Category judges tackled a record number of retailers entering this year, as they painstakingly marked hundreds of entries for their entrepreneurial skill, initiative and dedication in running a successful business.
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Industry FeatureAWARDS: The Maxol Group scores a hat-trick at Forecourt Trader Awards 2023
Maxol, Northern Ireland’s leading family-owned forecourt and convenience retailer was showered with accolades recently at the Forecourt Trader Awards 2023 as the Group secured a trio of prestigious awards.
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Industry FeatureFORECOURT TRADER AWARDS: A winning line-up
A great time was had by all at last month’s Forecourt Trader Awards which celebrated the hard work, innovation and creativity of forecourt retailers nationwide at a glamorous awards evening held at the Park Plaza, Westminster Bridge, London.
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Industry FeatureAWARDS: Gulf emerges victorious with Best Oil Company Initiative
Victorious in a highly competitive category, this year’s winner of the Best Oil Company Initiative at this year’s Forecourt Trader Awards, was Gulf with its OOMPH + Foresite entry, with BP taking the honours for Highly Commended.
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Industry FeatureONSITE: Strong brands driving growth and prosperity at Pricewatch
The Pricewatch Group has introduced new brands to its south coast forecourts as it looks to drive up revenues across its portfolio of nine outlets.
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Industry FeatureONSITE: Spar Mallusk: Henderson’s laboratory store
Seeing is believing when it comes to Henderson’s Spar Mallusk store in Newtownabbey. We all know that Northern Ireland has a fine reputation for forecourt stores, but Spar Mallusk really is in a class of its own thanks to its status as Henderson’s laboratory store.
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Industry FeatureINSIGHT: BOSS is the ‘Watch’ word for fighting forecourt crime
Motorists not paying for fuel - whether by accident or design - has long been the scourge of the fuel retailing sector, and according to the latest figures, the overall trend is upwards.
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Industry FeatureONSITE: A Sterling performance
Gloucestershire-based Sterling Petroleum took on its first dealer forecourt in 2020 and in just three years, managing director Nakendram Piratheepan (Theepan) has built a portfolio of 10 sites with the promise of more to come.
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Industry FeatureONSITE: Pumping up the volume
Shop sales have quadrupled, and fuel sales are up 20% within a month of the opening of Karan Retail’s newly developed BP-branded site, Pumphill Service Station near Clacton-on-Sea, Essex – its first knock-down-rebuild.