All articles by Clare Coleman
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NewsRetailers fret as Torex crisis builds
Anxious retailers have demanded reassurance from retail systems provider Torex Retail after it became the subject of a Serious Fraud Office investigation this week. The Oxfordshire-based company suspended dealing in its shares following a shock dire profits warning. And as Forecourt Trader went to press, news came that chief executive ...
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NewsFull of beans
Inside the home, we Brits remain a nation of tea drinkers, but step outside the front door and premium coffee has become the hot drink of choice. As big brands such as Starbucks and Costa dominate the high-street coffee bars, discerning drivers are also increasingly on the look out for ...
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NewsProtect your assets
Crime on the Forecourt has long been a huge headache for the petrol retailing fraternity, as was confirmed by a recent survey which showed that safety and security at work concerned nearly half of all forecourt staff questioned. The survey - by research company HIM, as part of its Convenience ...
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NewsMain route masters
Brackenvale Retail Centre has always been a large site by anyone’s standards but now it’s "bigger and better than ever", according to manager Sam Hawkes, who collected the latest in a string of accolades at the Forecourt Trader Awards 2006. Situated on a busy commuter route near Carryduff, around seven ...
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News
Burning issues
Tobacco retailers were already facing a raft of new legislation before the New Year’s Day announcement concerning the raising of the minimum legal age for buying tobacco products from 16 to 18 from October 1. The government’s continuing efforts to coerce more smokers into quitting could also see the introduction ...
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NewsNew Year coming of age on tobacco
Forecourt retailers have broadly welcomed the government’s New Year’s Day announcement that the legal age for buying tobacco products will be raised from 16 to 18 from October 1, 2007, saying the higher age limit will be easier to enforce. The reaction comes despite the Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) ...
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News
Action stations
the forecourt property market is buzzing with activity at the moment, with competition for sites fiercer than ever and prices spiralling to match. In fact, John Coulling, associate director of motor trade and roadside at Lambert Smith Hampton, describes the market as "on fire" compared to two years ago. For ...
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NewsMeet the neighbours
Once again the neighbourhood category was one of the most hotly contested at the Forecourt Trader of the Year Awards 2006. Karl Brocklehurst of Westbridge Motors in Northampton (featured in the November issue) was judged best independent with nine sites or less and also overall category winner. He then went ...
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NewsCounter cures
The past five years have seen huge changes in the way over-the-counter (OTC) medicines are sold, meaning the traditional pharmacy need no longer be the consumer’s first port of call when they’re ill. Wider availability, more medicines being switched from pharmacy-only to the General Sales List (GSL) and government promotion ...
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NewsDouble bubble
Car washing continues to offer some of the highest margins on the forecourt, but it’s not without its challenges. For retailers in the south east this year’s lack of rainfall and consequent Drought Orders have caused serious concern, while the ubiquitous roadside hand car washes are treading on traditional forecourt ...
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NewsSparkling opportunity
It’s been almost a year since the mad rush to convert to the new licensing system. But while all the fuss may have made some retailers wonder if the category was worth the hassle, alcohol remains a big opportunity for forecourts.
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NewsChristmas stockings
Another year has whizzed by and Christmas will soon be upon us. For forecourt retailers the festive season is an opportunity to end on a high with some bumper sales. This year the tidings are even better, as both Christmas and New Year’s Day fall on Mondays. With people doing ...
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NewsTravelling bite
Busy Britons are said to be Europe’s biggest spenders on meals on the go - racking up an average bill of £120 per person a year, according to research company Datamonitor. And if you include the extra snacks that many of us manage to fit in around set meal times ...
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Analysis
Emission impossible?
After years of consultation, smaller sites have been given a reprieve as the government finalises new legislation to curb vapour emissions from petrol pumps. Final plans for implementing stage II vapour recovery - officially known as Petrol Vapour Recovery II - mean that service stations selling more than 3.5m litres ...
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NewsThe munch bunch
With fears about the nation’s expanding waistlines increasingly dominating the headlines, the overall market for traditional crisps and savoury snacks has been pretty flat over the past year. The good news, however, is that this doesn’t seem to have affected forecourt sales, which have remained in growth. Indeed, recent IRI ...
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Keeping up appearances
First impressions count in most walks of life and in the forecourt business it’s no different. A regular wash and brush-up and a regular lick of paint are basic, but essential, maintenance tasks, which will reassure passing motorists that you are a well-run business worth stopping for. Kevin Phippen, service ...
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NewsDon’t give up
With the ever-increasing duty on tobacco said to be fuelling a boom in counterfeit products and forcing consumers to down-trade to cheaper brands, retailers, manufacturers and smokers alike were hoping Gordon Brown would give them a break. However, the Budget in March saw yet another rise, this time of 9p ...
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News
Further drought orders granted
Two more water companies have been granted drought orders, which will allow them to restrict the operation of car wash facilities. Southern Water has been given powers to ban non-essential use in parts of Kent and Sussex, while Mid Kent Water has also been granted an order for its entire ...
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News
Drought order threat to Surrey car wash facilities
Car wash restrictions are set to come into place after Sutton and East Surrey Water was granted a drought order to limit non-essential use of water. The company is the first in the South East to be given extra powers, with Southern and Mid Kent awaiting decisions on similar applications. ...
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News
Distribution still stretched as Buncefield report reveals faulty fuel gauge
Fuel distribution capacity continues to be stretched following the Buncefield oil terminal disaster, according to Nick Vandervell, spokesman for the UK Petroleum Industry Association (UKPIA). Commenting on the latest report into the December explosion, which identified the cause of the blast as a faulty fuel gauge, Vandervell said that the ...