All Forecourt Trader articles in August 2005
View all stories from this issue.
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News
Zoom, zoom, zoom
Bosch has improved its AutoDome camera systems with enhanced optical zoom range up to 26 times without loss of sensitivity and picture quality. In addition, the AutoDomes have an extra x12 digital zoom boost, to give a total zoom range of over 310x. The improved cameras are said to offer ...
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NewsRocket to take off
Rocket Fuel, the energy coffee brand, has unveiled a nationwide campaign to support the Department for Transport’s Think! driver tiredness initiative. Government research shows that falling asleep at the wheel accounts for up to 20% of crashes on motorways or similar roads. Edward Chapman, brand marketing director of Rocket ...
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NewsPringles in singles
Pringles is launching a mini variety on September 12. The new variant is not just a small pack, it’s a mini version of the snack in a mini pack. Original, sour cream & onion, and salt & vinegar varieties are available in single packs which retail at 29p; five-packs at ...
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News
Meals on wheels
As more time-starved drivers take to the road in the UK, so the need for meals on the move continues to grow, with forecourts being the prime destination for travelling motorists.Datamonitor, in its report into meals consumed out of the home, published in May this year, estimates that by 2009, ...
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News
Maltesers makes a Smart move
Masterfoods aims to drive sales of Maltesers by giving retailers the chance to win a new Smart car. The prize draw is running at more than 150 cash and carry outlets nationwide from now until October. The Maltesers 146g box is a big seller in convenience outlets. The brand’s gift ...
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NewsRise of the machines
Plastic may be convenient but sometimes only cash will do. So if your site has an ATM you can bet that many consumers will choose it – to fill up their cars and their wallets at the same time. There are around 55,000 ATMs in the UK. Most are linked ...
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News
This should keep you posted
You would think that, if you had the best convenience store in town, with a forecourt to boot, plus parking, plus a customers’ petition supporting your application, that you would get the sub post office when the sub postmistress in the village decided to retire from her little ‘centre-ville’ shop. ...
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News
Mo’gas: An irreverent view from the network
SO, SUMMER HOLIDAY time again. I don’t know about you, but once upon a time I couldn’t wait to get on that sun-lounger. Get the old suntan cream on, order up a couple of drinks and just lie there and frazzle. Guess it must be a sign of me getting ...
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NewsShell’s Irish network snapped up by Ion
Shell’s all-Ireland network of 55 petrol stations, 35 fuel distribution depots and six oil-importing facilities has been bought by venture capital group Ion Equity. The value of the deal, which was agreed after Shell recently decided to exit the business for strategic reasons, was not disclosed. The business, believed to ...
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NewsThe Green Welly Stop at Tyndrum, Perthshire
The Green Welly Stop is situated on the A82 at Tyndrum, Perthshire – the gateway to the Highlands. It is some two hour’s drive north west of Edinburgh and an hour south of Fort William. It is at about the mid-point of the popular West Highland Way, the long distance ...
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News
A good result
In the April issue I carried the tale of Andrew Fraser who works at a couple of Hills Garage’s forecourts in the Northwest. He was about to be taken to court by Cumbria trading standards – along with a load of others in the area – after the TSOs had ...
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News
Minute Maid gets fresh
Coca-Cola Great Britain has launched Minute Maid Froot Refresh. The new juice drinks come in 330ml PET bottles with a rrp of 89p. They are made from a blend of 50% juice and water and no added sugar. Varieties include apple with a splash of mango with multivitamins and red ...
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NewsFirmly routed
As the giants of the fuel industry continue to prune their branches, it lets in more light for the smaller brands to flourish. And so it is for The Maxol Group, the Irish, family-owned oil company, which is finding that while life at grass roots level is still tough – ...
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News
Fast lanes DO drive loyalty, says HIM
Retailers should not be put off from introducing pay-at-pump fast lanes because of a fear of losing shop sales, according to latest findings from Harris International Marketing’s (HIM) Convenience Tracking Programme.Tom Fender, chief operating officer of HIM, said: “Pay-at-pump offers a clear and obvious solution to busy consumers suffering from ...
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News
Join Heinz for cricket
Heinz is launching a cricket promotion for independent retailers. Running across three key categories – sauces, beans/pasta meals and soup – from now to October, the promotion invites retailers to join The Heinz Cricket Club. Membership gives them the chance to win cricketing memorabilia. One lucky retailer will win the ...
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News
Count on it
Volumatic’s new Omal 309S coin sorter has been designed to sort and count large volumes of mixed coin denominations at high speed. The unit counts up to 20 denominations, with coins sorted into nine individual drawers by sensors which can detect foreign, forged or reject coins. With an operating speed ...
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News
Taking control
Motor fuel is the forecourt retailer’s key commodity, and with margins so tight it is crucial that none is ‘lost’ unnecessarily. However, wet-stock loss remains a real problem for most petrol retailers with issues such as leaks, vapour loss and even faulty equipment meaning there can be large variances between ...
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News
Colourful gum launch
New from Wrigley is Hubba Bubba Colours – a bubble gum that colours chewers’ tongues blue or green. Available now, as a limited edition for six months, rrp is 20p for a single pack of five chunks. Retailers are urged to stock up now as Hubba Bubba Colour’s fruit ...
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Analysis
Drive-off chaos
The government’s attempt to downgrade drive-off crimes has been picked up by the Association of Convenience Stores, which is fighting on retailers’ behalf for the Home Office to reverse its new policy.Since new guidelines were issued in April this year, which appear to reduce the crime status of drive-offs, some ...
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News
Drivers’ fuel challenge
The trend for fewer forecourts is creating a challenge for drivers – particularly those using a restricted fuel network, according to Arval, which describes itself as the UK’s leading supplier of fuel cards. The company said drivers are faced with a choice of either using their own cash to refuel ...