All Analysis articles – Page 6
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Analysis
Tasty prospect
A significant new retail entrant to the forecourt sector could make its presence felt in 2014, according to Steve Rodell, director and head of retail at specialist property adviser Christie & Co. "They have significant capital funding and could buy a national chain if they are able to find the ...
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Analysis
Positive momentum
The past year has been a busy one for the PRA, and its chairman Brian Madderson expects there will be no let up in 2014. Much of his time in 2013 was spent challenging and educating arms of government, such as the OFT, Department of Energy & Climate Change (DECC), ...
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Analysis
News Review of 2013
January A PRA report warns that supermarket expansion could wipe out 800 independent forecourts by 2017. Former PRA president Paul Sykes sells his five Shaws forecourts to Midlands Co-op. February A long-awaited OFT report into the road fuel market gives it a clean bill of health to the disbelief ...
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Analysis
Regeneration Forum: Sticking points
The problems with planning, business rates, excise duty and card payments were spelt out in no uncertain terms as key concerns of the fuel retailing sector at the recent Regeneration Forum hosted by the Petrol Retailers’ Association, and organised in conjunction with the Department of Energy and Climate Change. In ...
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Analysis
Duty deferment: A sense of duty
As you may now be aware, there is a scheme for retailers to buy oil under duty-deferred terms from suppliers’ terminals. Using the ’standard’ deferment scheme, the price of the oil is invoiced by the supplier but without the duty and VAT being charged to the retailer. Instead, the duty ...
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Analysis
BOSS: Payback time
BOSS, the British Oil Security Syndicate, has welcomed confirmation from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) that it has issued new guidance to lawyers and police forces to prosecute motorists who repeatedly claim to have no-means-of-payment (NMoP). After lobbying from BOSS, the CPS has issued new legal guidelines to police and ...
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Analysis
Time for feedback
A new study looking at the attitudes of fuel customers and why they choose particular brands, has underlined the growing dominance of the supermarkets. Customer intelligence specialist Market Force Information, surveyed more than 1,500 consumers across the UK in an effort to understand the choices made when purchasing fuel.The finding ...
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Analysis
Reports hit the flaw
The findings of January’s Office of Fair Trading (OFT) report on the UK road fuel market have been seriously undermined by the revised market share figures for supermarkets released by the government (see panel). They show that the supermarkets have a far higher share of the UK road fuels market ...
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Analysis
Change on the cards
The news that the European Commission is to introduce limits on the charges retailers pay for processing credit card and debit card payments has been welcomed by the PRA, but chairman Brian Madderson said a lot more still needs to be done to address problems in this area. The first ...
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Analysis
Refining the cost of fuel
Two major reports in the past month have looked at road fuels and the motoring sector from very different perspectives, but both have highlighted the cost of fuel and taxation.At one end of the spectrum, the Statistical Review 2013 of the UKPIA (United Kingdom Petroleum Industry Association) covers the fuel ...
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Analysis
Spotlight on pricing
Many in the trade have welcomed the decision by the European Commission (EC) to launch an investigation into oil price fixing, especially after the disappointment caused by the OFT’s refusal to sanction a probe into the UK road fuel market just weeks earlier.And, as the issue in question appears to ...
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Analysis
Positive outlook
There are plenty of positive things happening in the market for independent dealers. That was the message from Experian Catalist’s account manager, Arthur Renshaw, as he kicked off the Forecourt Spotlight session at this year’s Forecourt Show."There’s an awful lot going on in the sector at moment," he said. "The ...
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Analysis
A sustainable case?
The introduction of E10 fuel into the UK came a step closer this week as the finishing touches were applied to a public awareness campaign about it. No oil company has yet committed to introducing E10 into the UK, but when one does the campaign will swing into operation to ...
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Analysis
Freedom and flexibility
Last month, leading fuel supplier Greenergy came good on its promise of a multi-format offer for independent dealers, with the announcement that it has added the Esso and Nisa brands to its portfolio. The Greenergy offer now combines fuel supply with a choice of oil major, convenience, independent and dealer ...
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Analysis
A missed opportunity
After winning a long battle just to get the OFT to consider whether there were competition problems in the road fuel market, the outcome last week was a deep disappointment for the PRA, and the many other groups campaigning for a full investigation.Having provided a mass of information, including detailed ...
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Analysis
Footfall offers hope
The forecourt sector is facing a tough start to 2013, as it will be affected by the wider economy, but there will be trends and opportunities that could be turned to operators benefit. That’s the view of the industry at the start of the New Year.John Lynn, managing director of ...
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Analysis
Autumn meltdown
There’s been a great deal of activity in the run-up to this month’s Autumn Statement as various organisations plead their cases, with cancellation of January’s fuel duty rise at the top of the agenda.In an open letter to Minister for Business and Enterprise, Michael Fallon MP, PRA chairman Brian Madderson ...
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Analysis
News Extra: Station rationalisation
Widespread economic uncertainty coupled with soaring oil prices has seen fuel consumption decline since 2008, leading international oil companies to review their service station portfolios across Europe and exit unprofitable sites, according to new analysis by CBRE, a property company which advises some of the world’s biggest oil companies on ...
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Analysis
Question time with Caroline Hobson
Q Last month was the deadline for submissions to the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) for its short inquiry into the petrol retailing sector. What happens now? A The OFT will now go away and review the submissions it has received, seek further information from industry players and consider ...
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Analysis
Pricing law threat
The UK is not alone in suffering the effects of predatory pricing, where the biggest players in any market can use their huge financial muscle to decimate the livelihoods of the smaller ones and apparently get away with it. But while in the UK fuel-retailing sector the powers that ...