All Analysis articles – Page 12

  • Analysis

    Editor: Merril Boulton

    2020-01-13T00:00:00Z

    Happy New Year to one and all. Hope everything went well and you all enjoyed a successful festive period on your forecourts. Generally the outlook for the New Year looks pretty good for the forecourt convenience sector (see News Extra, page 10). That’s if you ignore the explosively escalating tensions ...

  • Analysis

    Kevin Eastwood: executive director, BOSS

    2020-01-13T00:00:00Z

    This year BOSS will be celebrating the first decade of BOSS Payment Watch and our research indicates that since it was established, we’ve helped forecourt retailers to prevent and recover £100m of losses from forecourt crime. The first ’no means of payment’ (NMoP) scheme was a real milestone for BOSS. ...

  • Analysis

    Chris Judge: analysis editor, Argus Media

    2020-01-13T00:00:00Z

    Oil prices gained steadily through December before the assassination of leading Iranian general Qasem Soleimani in Baghdad on January 3 took Ice Brent futures to $69.50/bl for the first time since attacks on Saudi oil infrastructure in September. Prices at the pump reacted to the gains on international markets for ...

  • Analysis

    James Lowman: chief executive, ACS

    2020-01-13T00:00:00Z

    The start of the new year is often a time when we reflect on the events of the past 12 months and look ahead to what the next year may hold both in terms of opportunities and challenges. This year will see the new government make its mark not only ...

  • Analysis

    Riding crest of the wave into 2020

    2020-01-13T00:00:00Z

    After MFG got approval for its huge takeover of MRH in 2018, the market was bracing itself for an even bigger deal in 2019, with Sainsbury bidding to take over Asda to become the UK’s biggest fuel retailer by volume. But while the Competition and Markets Authority was willing to ...

  • Analysis

    Zeroing in with fuels

    2019-12-16T00:00:00Z

    The government made its commitment to electrification of transport clear in its Road to Zero strategy, which it published in July 2018. The document claimed the government remains ’technology neutral’ but then devoted the majority of its pages to highlighting its support for the development of electric vehicles (EVs) and ...

  • Analysis

    Tracy West: retail commentator

    2019-12-16T00:00:00Z

    We all know that we should be doing more to cut down on waste, whether it’s packaging or food, but I fear one organisation has gone too far. BusinessWaste.co.uk reckons it’s time to ban Christmas dinner as it estimates that 150,000 tonnes of it ends up in landfill. Press releases ...

  • Analysis

    Brian Madderson: PRA chairman

    2019-12-16T00:00:00Z

    It is clear that many people around the world are becoming increasingly concerned about the negative impact of Climate Change and that fossil fuels are seen by politicians, medics and environmentalists as a primary cause. Social media has been a powerful tool affecting this rapid change in outlook. Change on ...

  • Analysis

    Merril Boulton: editor

    2019-12-16T00:00:00Z

    It promises to be a significantly more memorable festive season than usual what with the election, the political noise and ’who knows what’ will follow. UKPIA director general Stephen Marcos (see news page 3 and Forecourt Trader website) has called this election "one of the most important for generations", and ...

  • Analysis

    Chris Judge: analysis editor, Argus Media

    2019-12-16T00:00:00Z

    International oil markets edged higher in November as winter heating demand kicked in. But crude oil still looked well supplied ahead of an Opec meeting on December 5 in Vienna, when the cartel will consider production levels in concert with key producers such as Russia. Brent crude futures ended November ...

  • Analysis

    Alexander Russell: consultant, Car Wash Association (CWA)

    2019-12-16T00:00:00Z

    Dame Sara Thornton, the recently appointed Independent Anti-Slavery Commissioner, has published her first Strategic Plan 2019-2021. The plan focuses on improving victim care and support, supporting law enforcement and prosecution, concentrating on prevention and getting value from research and innovation. Here are its main points with particular reference to car ...

  • Analysis

    EVolving the network

    2019-11-15T00:00:00Z

    Shell is planning to be the first fuel retailer in the UK to take out traditional fuels from an operating service station and replace them with an electric vehicle-only charging hub. An application for planning permission for the development on the company’s site in Fulham, west London, was made at ...

  • Analysis

    Stephen Marcos Jones: director general, UKPIA

    2019-11-15T00:00:00Z

    New labels were added to your fuel pumps recently, as new rules require each pump to have either an E5 label for petrol or B7 label for diesel. These shorthand labels tell motorists that their petrol has up to 5% ethanol, and diesel up to 7% biodiesel content by volume, ...

  • Analysis

    Tracy West: retail commentator

    2019-11-15T00:00:00Z

    Did any of you catch the story about the reporter from Hull who ate forecourt food for five days? Not only did it appear in the Hull local papers but it was picked up by the national dailies with headlines about how expensive and unhealthy the food was. The reporter ...

  • Analysis

    Merril Boulton: editor

    2019-11-15T00:00:00Z

    So it’s ’Bonjour’ all round as the Total brand returns to the UK, following its deal with Harvest Energy (see News page 4 and Forecourt Trader website). It’s a great move for Harvest Energy in terms of having a recognisable major oil brand to roll out as it further develops ...

  • Analysis

    Ray Blake: PRA technical director

    2019-11-15T00:00:00Z

    A question I and many other people in the industry are being asked more and more frequently is whether to install electric vehicle (EV) charging points. But I am not qualified to answer whether EV charging is a financially viable option to install on petrol forecourts, and from what I ...

  • Analysis

    Chris Judge: analysis editor, Argus Media

    2019-11-15T00:00:00Z

    Oil prices have stabilised around the $60/bl mark after shrugging off the effects of the drone and cruise missile attacks on Saudi oil facilities on September 14. Brent crude futures ended October at $60.23/bl, registering a negligible drop of $0.50/bl on the month, after briefly topping $62/bl. UK pump prices ...

  • Analysis

    Tracy West: retail commentator

    2019-10-10T00:00:00Z

    I don’t like the concept of ’schadenfreude’ ie deriving pleasure from someone else’s misfortune, but I must admit that when I heard Sainsbury’s first till-free store trial had not worked, I did smile. At the end of April, to much fanfare, the supermarket giant said its Holborn Circus Local shop ...

  • Analysis

    Merril Boulton: editor

    2019-10-10T00:00:00Z

    No apologies for devoting half of this issue to the Forecourt Trader Awards! I think the nation’s hard-working forecourt retailers deserve a bit of recognition once in a while don’t you? Because the awards ceremony itself is not just a chance for a great night out - and being ...

  • Analysis

    Kevin Eastwood: executive director, BOSS

    2019-10-10T00:00:00Z

    During the past 12 months forecourt retailers have been taking on more responsibility to help tackle forecourt crime and, in particular, drive-offs. Greater involvement is necessary because police forces need our help. There has been a steady rise in the number of incidents of forecourt crime, as evidenced by the ...