It was a fabulous family affair as the Garner Group took top honours for the second time in five years at this year’s Forecourt Trader Awards ceremony, which was celebrated in grand style at the Park Plaza, Westminster Bridge.

Awards host Matt Dawson TV presenter and World Cup Rugby celebrity led the proceedings with great charm as forecourt retailers across the nation were recognised for their immense achievements.

Award Winners 2019

forecourt trader of the year
Garner’s Nisa Woolmer Service Station
scotland
Up to 4mlpa
RaceTrack Autoport Services
4mlpa plus
Co-op Broadford
northern ireland
Up to 4mlpa
Spar Fortfield
4mlpa plus
Eurospar Wallace Village
midlands
Up to 4mlpa
Spar Newark
4mlpa plus
MFG Barton Mills
northern england
Up to 4mlpa
Spar Warton
4mlpa plus
Stevensons Forecourt
west country & wales
Up to 4mlpa
Loggerheads Garage
4mlpa plus
Tout’s Budgens of Langford
london & south east
Up to 4mlpa
MFG Brooklands Service Station
4mlpa plus
Garner’s Nisa Woolmer Service Station
best motorway services outlet
Shell Beaconsfield Motorway Services
best care care & lubricants outlet
Syston Service Station
best coffee and hot beverages
Westmorland Cairn Lodge Services
best community engagement
Co-op Broadford
best customer service
Tout’s Budgens of Langford
best design & development
Applegreen Spalding
best food-to-go outlet
RaceTrack Autoport Services
best forecourt innovation
RaceTrack Autoport Services
best forecourt loo
Westmoreland Cairn Lodge Services
best forecourt team
Jet Jempsons Express
best site manager
Samuel McCann, Eurospar Carrick Milestone
best soft drinks outlet
Eurospare Donegall Road
best valeting facilities
Inner Space Station
special recognition award
Reader vote
David Charman
Best oil company initiative
Highly commended
BP
Winner
Shell

Forecourt Trader of the Year

The Garner Group first won this prestigious award in 2014 with their site in Portsbridge, which they sold to help finance the redevelopment of what would become their next award-winning site Woolmer Service Station in Bordon, Hampshire.
As a small family business, they spent many months poring over the layout and design of each element of the new site. They worked within a budget, and made the best use of every millimetre of space to provide an outstanding experience for their customers and staff.
With a modern spacious forecourt and store boasting the latest in efficient and eco-friendly technology; a broad range of convenience and food-to-go lines; great promotions; a superb team focused on keeping customers happy and engaging with the local community; as well as ongoing superb and consistent discipline in operating standards, they are well-deserved winners.

Scotland Up to 4MLPA

Awards host Matt Dawson (far right), Forecourt Trader editor Merril Boulton (far left) and Essar’s head of retail, Ramsay MacDonald (third left) present Shamly Sud and her team with the award for Best Site in Scotland (up to 4mlpa).
RaceTrack Autoport Services aims to offer something a little bit different a modern, ’high end’ consumer experience with an aesthetic to match. Its spacious shop floor boasts 50-plus LED screens, numerous projectors and LED strip lighting throughout, as well as providing customers with a full range of grocery, household items and fuel-related accessories.

Best Car Care & Lubricants Outlet

Awards host Matt Dawson (far right) and CDG’s sales and marketing manager Graham Tissiman (far left)present Charles Masters with the award for Best Car Care & Lubricants Outlet. The award recognises the forecourt retailer who best demonstrates the most innovative display of car care products and lubricants. Syston Service Station scored the highest in a competitive category, with judges commenting on its neat and tidy, comprehensive offer, which includes a two-metre bay including lubricants, plus a further one-metre bay with seasonal items.

Scotland More than 4MLPA

Awards host Matt Dawson (right), Forecourt Trader editor Merril Boulton (left) and Essar’s head of retail, Ramsay MacDonald (second left) present Chris Sherlock with the award for Best Site in Scotland (4mlpa-plus).
The Co-op’s Broadford service station occupies a key and very scenic location on the Isle of Skye, operating on a 24-hour basis to serve the needs of the local community all year round and stepping up to meet the needs of thousands of tourists during the summer months. A five-month closure and redevelopment has resulted in a major transformation.

Best Coffee & Hot Beverages Outlet

Awards host Matt Dawson (right) and Nescafe’s head of beverages, David Basson, present Donna Hood with the award for Best Coffee & Hot Beverages Outlet.
Cairn Lodge Services is part of Top 50 Indie Westmorland, which sold nearly three million hot drinks last year, so takes the category very seriously. The company works very closely with its suppliers to select, source and roast the perfect blend of beans for its coffee, offering a broad choice of coffee and milk variations.

Northern Ireland Up to 4MLPA

Awards host Matt Dawson (far right), Forecourt Trader editor Merril Boulton (second left) and Essar’s head of retail, Ramsay MacDonald (far left) present Adrian Mellon with the award for Best Site in Northern Ireland (up to 4mlpa).
This fantastic new concept is a one-off project by Hendersons which includes new concept ’Daily Deli’ which covers a wide range of hot breakfast and lunch options, plus salad bar and sandwiches; Chicken Bar for grab-and-go dinner options; Peking Asian food bar; seating area, plus in-store Subway and Burger King complete with drive-thru; plus the first Barista Cafe.

Best Community Engagement

Awards host Matt Dawson (right) and Europump group managing director Edward Wheeler (left), present Chris Sherlock with the award for Best Community Engagement.
Planning for the five-month redevelopment of Co-op Broadford took over three years and at every stage the local community was consulted with and kept informed. Co-op’s Local Community Fund distributes 1% of the value of Co-op-branded goods that members buy plus the 5p carrier bag levy; and every six months three new community groups are chosen from local nominations.

Northern Ireland More than 4MLPA

Awards host Matt Dawson (right), Forecourt Trader editor Merril Boulton (left) and Essar’s head of retail, Ramsay MacDonald (left) present Michael Barr with the award for Best Site in Northern Ireland (4mlpa-plus).
Eurospar Wallace Village first opened its doors in July 2018, with a large modern forecourt, giving local customers more choice, availability of a large range of products and fundamentally embracing customer needs. The in-store offering includes food-to-go, an established butchery, as well as a large supermarket offering fresh, frozen and ambient products.

Best Customer Service

Awards host Matt Dawson (right) and JTI’s head of convenience, Steve Dyas (far left) present Jon and Zena Tout with the award for Best Customer Service.
Creating Happiness is the Tout’s Budgens of Langford pledge from the customer experience through to the employees, it wants everyone who visits the site to walk away happier. They couldn’t deliver this without a regular staff training programme and the company’s Signature loyalty scheme.

Midlands Up to 4MLPA

Awards host Matt Dawson (far right), Forecourt Trader editor Merril Boulton (far left) and Essar’s head of retail, Ramsay MacDonald (third left) present Gemma Lathan and colleagues with the award for the Best Site in the Midlands (up to 4mlpa).
Spar Newark Service Station with its smart Jet-branded forecourt features a newly refurbished store that is designed to offer customers the perfect shopping experience. It includes a wide range of groceries, fresh food and dairy products; plus food-to-go from its extended range of snacking products and also its ’freshly-made’ in-store deli; plus Subway and Costa Coffee.

Best Design & Development

Awards host Matt Dawson (right) and Harvest Energy’s head of sales, Luke Baker, present Adrian Grimes with the award for Best Design & Development.
Applegreen Spalding was built with innovation and customer service in mind, an eye to modern convention and a desire to show a pioneering service area to the modern UK ’transumer’. The spacious, modern forecourt with standout canopy and 84 parking spaces, enables quick and easy access to the store, where the aim of the layout is to provide a range of appealing customer options.

Midlands More than 4MLPA

Awards host Matt Dawson (right), Forecourt Trader editor Merril Boulton (second left) and Essar’s head of retail, Ramsay MacDonald (far left) present Phil Withers with the award for Best Site in the Midlands (4mlpa-plus).
MFG Barton Mills literally rose from the ashes of a devastating fire. The stunning new site which replaced it features an open-plan layout with compact convenience offer, Stone Willy’s Kitchen, Subway, a trio of Costa Coffee machines alongside a ’Grab & Go’ food offer; seating area with charging facilities; plus high-spec toilet facilities.

Best Food-To-Go Outlet

Awards host Matt Dawson (right) and Rollover’s sales and marketing director Tony Owen (far left) present Shamly Sud (second right) with the award for Best Food-To-Go Outlet.
There is much traditional forecourt food-to-go fare at RaceTrack Autoport, but the site has devoted half of its sizeable store to its new Tubbees Dessert Bar as a real treat for customers for taking away or eating in, in a stylish, themed seating area. Also on offer are 60 flavours of Slushees a big favourite in Scotland.

Northern England Up to 4MLPA

Awards host Matt Dawson (far right), Forecourt Trader editor Merril Boulton (far left) and Essar’s head of retail, Ramsay MacDonald (second left) present Chris Gregory and Robert Eggo with the award for Best Site in Northern England (up to 4mlpa).
Spar Warton operates in conjunction with the Townsend family who have owned a garage on the site for more than 50 years, giving the business an impressive frontage with its smart Shell-branded forecourt. The Spar store has everything for most shopping missions including an in-store butcher, Daily Deli and wide range of fresh foods for ’tonight’s tea.

Best Forecourt Innovation

Awards host Matt Dawson (right) and Certas Energy’s retail marketing manager Gerry Walsh (far left)present Shamly Sud with her award for Best Forecourt Innovation.
RaceTrack Autoport Services strives to be different, and not just another place to get your fuel and basic groceries. The site is bristling with innovation, but it’s the stunning Tubbees Dessert Bar that surprises you with its space-like pipes and paraphernalia, 60 Slushee machines, and ’50s-style US cafe.

Northern England More than 4MLPA

Awards host Matt Dawson (far right), Forecourt Trader editor Merril Boulton (second left) and Essar’s head of retail, Ramsay MacDonald (far left) present John Stevenson with the award for Best Site in Northern England (4mlpa-plus).
The Esso-branded Northallerton operation is a new-to-industry site, which was required to overcome many planning conditions. The development features reclaimed brick, curtain wall glazing, a contemporary curved canopy and 29kw of solar panels on the roof consisting of 114 panels. It also features a Subway restaurant, gin shop and immaculate Spar store.

Best Forecourt Loo

Awards host Matt Dawson (far right) and Fast Track director Asif Ayub (far left) present Donna Hood with the award for Best Forecourt Loo.
As part of Westmorland’s site-wide renovation in 2018, all of its toilet and shower facilities were re-done, providing clean, fresh and comfortable facilities for all customers. At Cairn Lodge there are two unisex toilet and shower rooms, one baby-changing facility, one accessible toilet and separate men’s toilets, all of which are clearly sign-posted along the journey from the forecourt entrance. Most importantly, they are maintained to a high standard of cleanliness, despite a constant stream of customers.

West Country Up to 4MLPA

Awards host Matt Dawson (far right), Forecourt Trader editor Merril Boulton (far left) and Essar’s head of retail, Ramsay MacDonald (third left) present Ady and Brian Robinson with the award for Best Site in the West Country (up to 4mlpa).
Loggerheads Garage is in the beautiful community of Llanferres in North Wales and has recently benefited from a significant refurbishment. It features a car repair and MOT centre; while the shop was revamped to cater for the changing needs of the site’s customers, together with a change in fuel brand to Essar and investment in new technology.

Best Forecourt Team

Awards host Matt Dawson (right) and Booker group managing director Colm Johnson (left) present Jurgita Vainauskiene with the award for Best Forecourt Team. The team at Jempson’s Express a small but thriving rural forecourt and community hub offers an outstanding level of customer service which has contributed to the site going from strength to strength over the past three years. The team of six staff live locally, and are on first-name terms with many of the customers. They provide a warm welcome and regularly go the ’extra mile’.

West Country More than 4MLPA

Awards host Matt Dawson (far right), Forecourt Trader editor Merril Boulton (second left) and Essar’s head of retail, Ramsay MacDonald (far left) present Jon and Zena Tout with the award for Best Site in the West Country (4mlpa-plus).
The business in Langford was established in 2000 by former Forecourt Trader of the Year winners Phil and Lesley Tout. Now the next generation Jon and Zena have taken over, but the work goes on to continually keep the business fresh and relevant to customers, constantly striving to create customer happiness through great service and innovation.

Best Site Manager

Awards host Matt Dawson (right)and Jet’s retail business manager, Oliver Mueller, present Samuel McCann with the award for Best Site Manager.
Sam would say that his team are the driving force behind the success of Eurospar Carrick Milestone, but others would say that this ultimately stems from his guidance and leadership, and that he really deserves the title of Best Site Manager as he is a truly great leader who inspires the team on a daily basis to go the extra mile. Sam has worked in retail for more than 25 years; he has managed six different stores and has been site manager at Carrick Milestone for just over three years.

London & South East Up to 4MLPA

Awards host Matt Dawson (far right), Forecourt Trader editor Merril Boulton (left) and Essar’s head of retail, Ramsay MacDonald (second left) present Kishokkumar Muthusamy with the award for Best Site in London & South East (up to 4mlpa).
Adjacent to the beach and featuring a new Costa Cafe, the site has a modern, spacious forecourt, with plenty of parking. In the shop you are greeted with a wide-ranging food offer, from standard groceries to a variety of food-to-go items prepared on the premises, including bakery, snacks and hot food; plus a Costa Coffee machine. It’s all very clean, tidy and well presented.

Best Soft Drinks Outlet

Awards host Matt Dawson (right) and senior trade communications manager Amy Burgess (left) present Joanne Walker with the award for Best Soft Drinks Outlet.
Soft drinks play a key role at Eurospar Donegall Road. The category is currently averaging about 10% of store non-fuel sales, and is trading around 20% up across all categories of drinks. All leading brands are represented including new products and a wide range of impulse, health and energy drinks, large take-home and multipacks, in a broad range of flavours.

London & South East More than 4MLPA

Awards host Matt Dawson (far right), Forecourt Trader editor Merril Boulton (second left) and Essar’s head of retail, Ramsay MacDonald (left) present Andy and Dani Garner with the award for Best Site in London & South East (4mlpa-plus).
Woolmer Service Service Station re-opened in March following a six-month closure which saw it undergo a complete knock-down-rebuild and an amazing transformation to become the flagship of the group’s three sites. It now boasts state-of-the-art forecourt facilities and a 2,000sq ft Nisa/Co-op branded convenience store.

Best Valeting Facilities

Awards host Matt Dawson (right) and Wilcomatic managing director Kevin Pay (left), present Graham Kennedy with the award for Best Valeting Facilities.
Inner Space Stations is home to an amazing car wash facility, with its touchless car wash and five-bay Planet Wash total valeting centre, enabling customers to wash and vacuum their car, check screen wash, air and fragrance and even blow-dry their car from one station. Renowned for its sci-fi branding, the facilities are guarded by two Transformers Bumblebee and Octopus Prime.

Motorway Services

Awards host Matt Dawson (far right), Forecourt Trader editor Merril Boulton (second left) and Essar’s head of retail, Ramsay MacDonald (far left) present Sanj Kular with the award for Best Motorway Services.
Shell Beaconsfield is a flagship site that has undergone numerous changes in the past year to make the customer experience even better. After successfully piloting the launch of the first hydrogen pump under the canopy last year, this year it piloted the new Jamie Oliver food offer. The shop was totally reformatted leading to a growth in sales of almost 20%.

Special Recognition

Awards host Matt Dawson (far right), Forecourt Trader editor Merril Boulton (second left) and Essar’s head of retail, Ramsay MacDonald (far left) present David Charman with the Special Recognition award as voted for by readers of Forecourt Trader. David was the first winner of the Forecourt Trader of the Year Awards in 1996 and has been a winner ever since, as he has constantly transformed and evolved his business to accommodate changing market forces and ongoing challenges. He is a leader and an innovator and widely respected.

Oil Company Initiative

Awards host Matt Dawson (far right), Forecourt Trader editor Merril Boulton (second left) and HIM’s Content & Innovation director, Val Kirillovs, present BP’s UK sales manager Howard Nunn with the Highly Commended Oil Company Initiative award for its BPme Rewards scheme.
BP’s goal was to design a programme enabling customers to interact with it in a way that is personal to them and suits their lifestyle, giving them the chance to earn little treats more often or save for higher-value rewards.

Oil Company Initiative

Awards host Matt Dawson (right), Forecourt Trader editor Merril Boulton (second left) and HIM’s Content & Innovation director, Val Kirillovs (left), present Shell’s UK retail general manager, Bernie Williamson with the Oil Company Initiative award for the Jamie Oliver Deli by Shell offer.
With food-to-go seen as a great opportunity in the forecourt sector, as well as the general focus on healthy food, Shell employed the services of celebrity chef Jamie Oliver to drive positive change in the forecourt sector.

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