All Columnists articles – Page 11

  • Analysis

    Ray Blake: PRA technical director

    2018-11-12T00:00:00Z

    The unmanned operation of petrol filling stations is growing across the UK, sometimes because it is the only feasible way for vehicle fuel to be accessible in remote areas. But also where companies have evaluated the cost of installing and monitoring technical solutions against the ever-rising cost of employing personnel ...

  • Analysis

    Chris Judge: analysis editor, Argus Media

    2018-11-12T00:00:00Z

    International oil prices shed more than 10% in October. Markets fell from the highs seen in September, as Saudi Arabia increased production and assured customers that it would plug any gaps caused by loss of Iranian oil to sanctions. UK transport fuel prices were broadly neutral, but Ice Brent futures ...

  • Analysis

    Tracy West: retail commentator

    2018-10-08T00:00:00Z

    Not sure if you noticed it, but last month Cadbury launched a new chocolate bar. No worries if you didn’t because it’s initially available exclusively in Tesco’s. It’s called Cadbury Dark Milk and it’s a dark version of Cadbury Dairy Milk (CDM). Dark Milk has a much higher cocoa content ...

  • Analysis

    Merril Boulton: editor

    2018-10-08T00:00:00Z

    Well what a shocker! The Jet brand is returning to the company owned sector. Brand owner Phillips 66 has bought independent dealer Nick Baker’s award-winning business in Yorkshire. While it’s only four sites, Mary Wolf, the company’s managing director, UK marketing, said the acquisition was the start of a new ...

  • Analysis

    Kevin Eastwood: executive director, BOSS

    2018-10-08T00:00:00Z

    On more than one occasion during the past three months, BOSS has been told by senior police officers that they are keen to have much closer links with forecourt retailers as there are often clear links to more serious incidents. Forecourt crime tends to involve a high number of incidents ...

  • Analysis

    Charlotte Blum: analysis editor, Argus Media

    2018-10-08T00:00:00Z

    Oil prices continue on their upward trajectory, and there are signs of tightness in global markets, felt all the way down the supply chain to the UK pump. Brent crude prices topped $82/bl in late September, closing the month at $82.72/bl, $5.30/bl up on the month. Prices at UK retail ...

  • Analysis

    James Lowman: chief executive, ACS

    2018-10-08T00:00:00Z

    It’s hard to ignore the debate on plastics and the environmental impact of the bottles and bags that are too often discarded into the countryside, waterways and oceans. One of my rules in working out how ACS should address policy challenges is to ask ’Is this a real issue, are ...

  • Analysis

    Tracy West: retail commentator

    2018-09-17T00:00:00Z

    So the mighty Coca-Cola has gobbled up Costa Coffee in a £3.9bn deal. Wow. News reports say it’s a win-win good news for Costa as the brand can expand further globally and good for Coke as it takes them into hot beverages. For what it’s worth, I am personally rather ...

  • Analysis

    Brian Madderson: PRA chairman

    2018-09-17T00:00:00Z

    If the Road to Zero plan finally published by the Department for Transport (DfT), the Clean Air Strategy published by the Department for Food, Rural Affairs and Environment (DEFRA) together with the demonisation of diesel were not sufficient worries for the UK fuels retailing industry, the proposed £12bn merger of ...

  • Analysis

    Merril Boulton: editor

    2018-09-17T00:00:00Z

    The skies above the fuel retailing sector are busy with activity as the powers that be set about making decisions that will influence the structure of the industry well into the future. How much of it amounts to dark thunder clouds on the horizon, and how much potential rays of ...

  • Analysis

    Charlotte Blum: Analysis editor

    2018-09-17T00:00:00Z

    UK road fuel prices are at their highest for four years, underpinned by high crude prices and robust middle distillates demand. US trade policy and its ramifications, as well as supply expectations, again dominated the market, pushing prices first down, then up again in the past month. Underlying Ice Brent ...

  • Analysis

    Alexander Russell: consultant, Car Wash Association (CWA)

    2018-09-17T00:00:00Z

    The Car Wash Association has been lobbying the government directly and through media campaigns during the summer months on the subject of non-compliant hand car washes (HCWs). The aim is to motivate the government and its various stakeholder agencies to inform, encourage and where necessary, oblige illegal HCWs to comply ...

  • Analysis

    Stephen Marcos Jones: UKPIA director general

    2018-08-03T00:00:00Z

    Last month, the government published its long-awaited Road to Zero strategy, setting out its proposed approach to reduce emissions from UK road transport. The strategy sets out government’s ambition to see more ultra-low emission cars on UK roads by 2030 at least 50% and as many as 70% of new ...

  • Analysis

    Tracy West: retail commentator

    2018-08-03T00:00:00Z

    I’m sorry but I’m back on the subject of soft drinks again this month. I’ll start with a moan. There’s no Rose’s Lime Cordial available anywhere (unless you want to pay silly money for it on eBay) all due to a factory fire. Of course, accidents happen but you can’t ...

  • Analysis

    Merril Boulton: Editor

    2018-08-03T00:00:00Z

    Important to stay braced and focused on the positive when opening the sizeable tome that is the government’s newly published ’Road to Zero’ strategy (see News Extra, page 10). Perhaps read it in small chunks with a nice glass of something so that you don’t blow too many gaskets in ...

  • Analysis

    Ray Blake: PRA technical director

    2018-08-03T00:00:00Z

    A question about EV charging was raised recently at the Petroleum Enforcement Liaison Group (PELG) where I have just been made the first chairman to be appointed from ’industry’ rather than from ’enforcement’. The question was ’Who would enforce EV charging and how would they know if any had been ...

  • Analysis

    Charlotte Blum: analysis editor, Argus Media

    2018-08-03T00:00:00Z

    International oil prices in July fell at the start of the month, but recovered steadily as the effects of increased production from major suppliers were tempered by an uncertain forward supply picture. UK transport fuels edged higher from July and Ice Brent futures ended the month at $74.97/bl after falling ...

  • Analysis

    Tracy West: retail commentator

    2018-07-06T00:00:00Z

    As a big soft drinks consumer, I’ve found it interesting to see how the Sugar Levy has been put into action in various retail outlets. I only drink diet or zero drinks so the levy doesn’t affect my drinking purchases. However, Mr West won’t touch the artificials and so still ...

  • Analysis

    Merril Boulton: editor

    2018-07-06T00:00:00Z

    Just back from an excellent PRA/ACS Forecourt Conference, which both informed and inspired in equal measure. The world is always changing, but there is something about the current pace of change and uncertainty across many aspects of life business, political, technological, environment that would be easy to become quite unsettled ...

  • Analysis

    Kevin Eastwood BOSS - executive director

    2018-07-06T00:00:00Z

    During the FIFA World Cup there were a number of countries who started the competition with low expectations. However, some quiet, careful and thoughtful planning helped them to achieve and make their nations very proud of their performances. The forecourt sector can draw similarities, in particular, when it comes to ...