All Forecourt Trader articles in December 2003
View all stories from this issue.
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News
Smart Silvey
Fuel distributor Thomas Silvey has invested in Oasis, the ‘smart’ technology platform to manage its fuel card business.Silvey is a family-owned business, which supplies domestic heating oil, road fuels, lubricants and LPG fuel to the south west of England and Wales, and in addition to its five filling stations, has ...
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News
Walkers relaunch
Walkers Snacks is splashing out £10m in the first 12 weeks of 2004 to relaunch its core crisp range. As the company’s biggest ever investment, the revamp includes a brand logo redesign, new packaging, additional pack variations and the introduction of two improved flavours.Cheese & onion, which is the nation’s ...
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News
Power play
If someone were to ask you if you knew the difference between an AA and an AAA battery I’m sure you’d answer ‘yes’. That’s because you sell them and it’s your job to know such things. However, for many consumers batteries are confusing – they all look very similar but ...
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News
New pouch for Whiskas
Whiskas is introducing a larger 200g pouch into the single-serve category to meet demand for a product that meets the needs of multi-cat owners.According to Masterfoods, 41 per cent of wet cat food volume is 200g, so the launch of the new pouch – which comes in a range of ...
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News
Meggitt rebranded
VBi Retail Solutions has rebranded its talking pumps and epos systems following the company’s acquisition of Meggitt Petroleum Systems in May this year.Meggitt’s outdoor payment system is now known as the Illumina Access range. The Access+ format incorporates a touchscreen and can turn the dispenser into a marketing tool and ...
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News
Movie mania
Contrary to the message in the 80s hit, video never did kill the radio star, but DVD may well kill video. According to the British Video Association (BVA), DVD rental overtook video for the first time earlier this year. “This is an important milestone for both DVD and the video ...
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News
Make a splash
Fuel retailers may be losing share in the car wash market to standalone operators, but it’s not all doom and gloom for forecourts. There is some light at the end of the tunnel in the form of new legislation – and it’s not often that legislation comes in forecourts’ favour. ...
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News
Mo’gas: An irreverent view from the network
SO THERE I WAS, getting out of the car to go to a PRA roadshow, when I suddenly realised that it was November and I was in my shirtsleeves! Perhaps there is something to this global warming business after all. I just wish the experts could make their minds up ...
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News
Occupational hazards
I don’t suppose you need me to tell you what a dangerous industry you work in – deadly substances on tap and tills full of high turnover (shame about the profit). But you still might be stopped in your tracks by some shock-horror statistics from the Health & Safety Executive ...
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News
Sugro UK goes live with online service
Wholesale distributor Sugro UK, is launching an online service for independent retailers which will enable them to place their orders directly with the company from anywhere in the UK.The new service – Sugro On Line – goes live on January 5, 2004, although retailers have been able to register since ...
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News
In the fast lane
RoadChef has undergone something of a revolution over the past two years – splashing out £30m to reinvent its service areas in a bid to be the best operator on the motorways.And with the company poised to open its 21st motorway service area on the M6 toll road in January, ...
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News
Today’s fascia for smaller forecourts
Nisa-Today’s has launched a forecourt fascia for small independents, following the launch of Nisa Express for larger sites in July (Forecourt Trader, August, p13).Today’s Express is designed for smaller sites who trade with a Today’s wholesale member to encourage retailer loyalty. Nisa Express is aimed at retailers with a higher ...
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News
DTI throws lifeline to rural retailers
More than 1,000 rural forecourts have been thrown a lifeline following a government announcement on Stage IB vapour recovery.Retailers selling less than 500,000 litres of fuel a year will be exempt from the legislation which comes into force at the end of 2004 as part of a European Directive. The ...
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News
Double trouble
An intruder who inflicted almost £900 of damage at a forecourt in Hertfordshire received a double punishment – he cut himself while smashing a glass door panel with a lump of concrete , an injury which led to his identification.Magistrates at Hertford heard the 21-year-old defendant admit the offence at ...
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Analysis
Double standards
A new report claims forecourt customers can be categorised into increasingly divergent groups – price-seekers at one end and service-seekers at the other. They are driven by their differing needs and expectations, according to David Kurtz, director of energy analysis at Datamonitor, and author of a new report that takes ...
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News
New Year tobacco deadline
Retailers are being reminded that from January 1 next year all cigarettes displayed on shelf must adhere to the new yield requirements set out by the EU Tobacco Product Directive.The maximum yields permitted for cigarettes will be 10mg of tar, 1.0mg of nicotine, and 10mg of carbon monoxide.
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News
Double murder at Cornish forecourt
Shockwaves rippled through the West Country forecourt trade in November as news emerged of a double shooting at a filling station in Cornwall. The incident near Wadebridge on the main Barnstaple to Falmouth road left garage proprietors Graham and Carol Fisher fatally injured with gunshot wounds.Police were called to the ...
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News
Off licence confusion
Susan Young, who runs Nantybwch Service Station at Tredeger in Gwent, was bemused to get a letter from a firm of solicitors in Merthyr Tydfil, suggesting that she might like to use their services in renewing her off licence and urging her to reply by November 10. Susan wondered if ...
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News
Reflecting changes
Crewe-based Viz Reflectives has re-packaged its reflective vests for motorists in a new triangular canister which keeps the contents clean, protects it from fading in the sunlight and stops it rolling around in the boot of the car. The vests are made of fluorescent fabric and EN471 industry compliant safety ...
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News
Celebrations at Easter
Masterfoods hopes to continue the success of its Easter range with the launch of an enhanced line-up for 2004. In previous years sales at Easter have been impressive – growing by 12.5 per cent in 2003 and 19.9 per cent in 2002 according to AC Nielsen figures.The big news for ...