All Analysis articles – Page 8
-
Analysis
Movers and shakers
Just as MRH was again named the UK’s number-one independent forecourt retailer in our 2011 Top 50 Indies listing, the company announced the sale of its commercial fuels distribution business Pace Fuelcare Ltd to GB Oils Ltd, a major operating subsidiary of Dublin-based DCC plc, and owner of ...
-
Analysis
Ray of hope
Chancellor George Osborne has given the forecourt industry and UK motorists a glimmer of hope by saying he is considering cancelling the fuel duty increase due to take effect in April.Following mounting pressure to rethink the 1ppl duty hike, which after the addition of VAT and inflation would ...
-
Analysis
2011 - here we come
James Lowman,chief executive, ACS"Last year saw a change of government and 2011 will be about real policy change. Public sector cuts, the VAT rise and other budget reforms will start to bite, consumers will retrench, and forecourt retailers will not be immune from the effects."Also as Councils are given more ...
-
Analysis
Rates in check
A 12-month battle over 2010 Business Rates, during which more than 2,000 fuel retailers lodged appeals, has resulted in some notable triumphs for the lobbying team led by RMI Petrol and, most importantly, for the industry.Almost a year to the day since Brian Madderson was made chairman of ...
-
Analysis
Cut to the quick
With colossal job losses in the public sector and cuts in public spending, the government’s Spending Review announced by Chancellor George Osborne last month has sent shockwaves through the nation and forecourt operators are unlikely to ride the storm without a struggle.Next year is looking like it will be a ...
-
Analysis
Total withdrawal
There have been many oil company comings and goings over the years, but Total’s announcement last month about its decision to sell up is unprecedented in terms of oil company exits from the UK.It will be the first time a traditionally-structured oil company with refinery, supply chain including pipelines, ...
-
Analysis
Re(de)fining the market
When Murphy Oil recently announced plans to sell off its Milford Haven refinery in Wales along with the entire Murco network in the UK it caused more than a few ripples of concern in the industry, as yet another oil company was opting out of refining to concentrate ...
-
Analysis
Retailers right on track
Forecourts will evolve into a "showcase of brands", retailers at last month’s Top Indies Track Day were told. Speaking at the Forecourt Trader event at Prestwold Hall, Leicester, forecourt design guru Robert Onion revealed his vision of how sites may look in the future. He made his comments alongside fellow ...
-
Analysis
Troubled waters
Global pressure on BP has shown no sign of easing after the catastrophic oil leak in the Gulf of Mexico. Angry protesters have been urging consumers in the US to boycott BP petrol stations, the oil company’s share price has taken a battering and chief executive Tony Hayward ...
-
Analysis
The end of the road?
At least 5% of UK petrol stations are at risk of closure in the next five years if the current valuation assessment system for Business Rates remains in place.A new report commissioned by RMI Petrol has warned that 435 sites are in a ’highly vulnerable’ position, with the organisation calling ...
-
Analysis
The sky’s the limit-er
The Icelandic volcano eruption caused chaos for millions of Brits: planes were grounded; travellers were stranded all over the world; and there was even the deployment of warships by the Royal Navy. The impact of volcanic ash from Eyjafjallajokull reached far and wide for travellers but also affected ...
-
Analysis
Show stoppers
Retailers can expect to hear about any revisions in their Business Rates bills by the end of June. That was the message from Brian Madderson, RMI Petrol chairman, at the International Forecourt and Fuel Equipment (IFFE) show at the Birmingham NEC last month. Madderson said he was hoping ...
-
Analysis
Dealers: the inside track
Texaco, Shell, Total and BP have emerged as the brands most favoured by independent dealers across the nation, according to a revealing study of the sector, ’Dealer Insite 2010’, conducted by VSM Research on behalf of Forecourt Trader magazine. Covering a representative cross-section of the independent dealer network ...
-
Analysis
Make your voice heard
Retailers have been urged to keep up the pressure on MPs as the debate rages over the proposed increases in Business Rates. RMI Petrol said the Valuation Office Agency (VOA) had met with its representative, forecourt rating specialist MUA Property Services at the end of January, with another ...
-
Analysis
A perfect storm
As we launched ourselves into a new year as well as a brand new decade you could have been forgiven for not cracking open the champers. With taxes and fuel prices on the rise, and motorists watching their mileage, many retailers have admitted to feeling gloomy, and have expressed trepidation ...
-
Analysis
Under pressure
Brian Madderson has vowed to make the fight over business rates the top priority under his new leadership of RMI Petrol, (formerly known as the Petrol Retailers’ Association). He called for an urgent meeting to discuss the issue soon after becoming chairman of the association in November, and true to ...
-
Analysis
Dark forces at work
The next two months will help shape the future of tobacco retailing. Retailers have until January to make their voices heard during the government’s consultation on plans to ban tobacco displays and vending machines in shops. This follows MPs last month voting in favour of prohibiting the display of tobacco ...
-
Analysis
Hold the front page
The Association of News Retailing (ANR) has vowed to keep fighting for a review of the newspaper and magazine distribution industry following its disappointment at last month’s news that the Office of Fair Trading (OFT) would not be referring the sector to the Competition Commission. ANR managing director John Lennon ...
-
Analysis
Fuming in the dark
Forecourt retailers in the Republic of Ireland have been living with the new tobacco display ban regulations since July 1. It’s early days yet, but a recent visit, care of Imperial Tobacco, revealed that they’re not best pleased. The backdrop to the till areas generally do not look good (the ...
-
Analysis
The road ahead
The industry faces a "huge challenge" in trying to develop and supply the next generation of eco fuels, according to the latest Statistical Review from the UK Petrolem Industry Association (UKPIA). It says we can expect to see global energy demand rise by almost 50% in the next 20 years, ...