All Focus On Feature articles
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Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON RETAIL TECHNOLOGY: Finding the right solution
Retail technology is more relevant to forecourt operators than ever – from digital screens tempting drivers charging their cars to buy snacks, to automated systems to help with Fuel Finder compliance, or pre-authorisation pay-at-pump terminals to deter drive-offs.
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Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON: Five things to know about crisps and savoury snacks
The so-called ‘fibremaxxing’ trend, value-focussed shoppers, and the continued desire for spicy flavours are among the influences shaping the growing crisps, nuts and savoury bagged snacks category.
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Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON PUMPS: A fillip for fill-ups
At the pump, reliability has always been fundamental to a petrol station’s performance, but in today’s environment of tighter margins and rising customer expectations, its importance is only increasing.
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Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON FRANCHISE AND FASCIA: a marriage of convenience
Today’s forecourt retailers are spoilt for choice when it comes to franchise and fascia partners. Whatever you are looking for, be it a household name, best-in-class deals, a quality own-label or consistent and complete deliveries, you are bound to find it. We speak to retailers to see why they chose their particular trading partner.
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Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON PUMP TOP PROMOTIONS: the cable guys
Mobile phone charging cables, barbecue lines, and year-round favourites air fresheners will be among the most popular non-food impulse lines at forecourts this summer, say pump top promotion suppliers.
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Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON FORECOURT INSURANCE: Triggering the war clause
The conflict in Iran shines a spotlight on war clauses being standard exclusions in most commercial insurance policies. And with April remaining a key time for renewing policies in the forecourt sector, it is not the only thing to be aware of, says Tracy West.
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Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON FORECOURT MAINTENANCE: Is your site ready for peak valeting season?
With car washes and jet washes a lucrative part of many forecourts’ business, you want to make sure they are working with as little downtime as possible. A driver pulls up, sees your wash is out of action, they’ll drive away and try somewhere else. And if they prefer that other location, you may have lost a loyal customer.
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Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON: Eight things to know about carbonates
As with chewing gum – who remembers Wrigley’s Juicy Fruit on every corner shop counter? – the carbonates market has undergone a generational shift away from using sugar as an ingredient.
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Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON: Five things to know about food to go
Some intriguing facts: around 95% of the UK’s cars still need petrol and diesel, while 100% of people run on food. And, despite changes to lifestyles and working patterns, Brits still drive 7,000 miles annually, spending an average of 362 hours in their cars each year.
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Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON ANTI-CRIME TECHNOLOGY: Operation deterrent
Last month, anti-crime technology hit the headlines for all the wrong reasons when a customer at Sainsbury’s Elephant & Castle store was told to leave because facial recognition software had identified him as an offender.
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Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON: Seven things you need to know about tobacco, vape and next generation
The nicotine category is being reshaped by dual-use behaviour, the rise of pouches and the shift to reusable vapes. How can retailers stay on top of the changes?
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Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON CAR CARE: Clean up your act
Park Garage Group keeps winning the car care category prize at the Forecourt Trader Awards. Tracy West talks to the Top 50 Indie to share how.
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Focus On FeatureTHE FORECOURT SHOW PREVIEW: Show time
Roll up, roll up: The Forecourt Show returns to the NEC Birmingham this April (13-15).
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Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON: Six things to know about Easter confectionery
The story behind Easter remains a constant, but the impact of the months that came before, and the trends expected to follow it, mean no two Easters are the same – not least given the date on which Easter Day falls changes with each year.
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Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON EV CHARGING: Time to plug in?
Love them or loathe them – EVs are not going away any time soon. Many forecourts have embraced the EV charging challenge and now have chargepoints on their sites. Others are still debating about if and when to add chargepoints. The problem is, it’s not as simple as just deciding to have them and giving them a go.
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Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON TANKS AND PIPEWORK: Going underground
Forecourt retailers are renowned for reinvesting in and future-proofing their sites – and this includes the bits the public never see.
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Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON: Nine things you need to know about healthier snacking
Convenience retail may for years have focussed on satisfying shoppers’ cravings as much as their appetites, but with the rise of weight-loss jabs and the modern world’s renewed focus on wellbeing, today’s snacking landscape prioritises health as much as it does easy eating.
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Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON PROPERTY: The art of the deal
Neil Findlay is a man who spends much of his working life in a car. That’s because he is the acquisitions director at EG On The Move, and he says if you don’t ride the roads, you’re not going to identify the opportunities. Forecourt Trader caught up with him, as well as other property experts, on a rare occasion he was at his desk.
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Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON SHOPFITTING: Saving time and money
Business nowadays is all about managing costs – and cutting them wherever possible. In shopfitting it’s about energy and efficiency.
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Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON STORE DESIGN: mission makeover
Food to go is such an important component of a forecourt store that it now impacts store design in a big way.