All Focus On Feature articles – Page 3
-
Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON CAR WASH & VALETING: Time to shine
Automated car washing and valeting on the petrol forecourt is making a huge comeback thanks to the closure of many hand washing operations and the fact that drivers are keeping their cars for longer and therefore need to take better care of them. According to the Car Wash Association, the number of hand car washing outfits has dropped from possibly 20,000 before the pandemic to around 5,000-6,000 now and, according to Autocar, the average car in the UK is 10 years old.
-
Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON SOFT DRINKS: Thirsty work
There’s no questioning the importance of the soft drinks category to forecourt retailers. Your shoppers are buying soft drinks at an astonishing rate and with the summer comes the peak time for sales.
-
Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON CRISPS AND SNACKS: Banking on bagged snacks
In the car, at your desk, in front of the TV, even in bed… wherever people are and whatever they are doing, you can bet that often snacks are involved. This is why the UK’s crisps, snacks and nuts (CSN) market is worth £4bn and is growing by 10.7% year-on-year (Nielsen).
-
Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON RETAIL TECHNOLOGY: Money-saving mechanics
When talking recently about growth plans for Maxol, CEO Brian Donaldson said that using the latest technology on and off the forecourt was central to its strategy. He announced that the company will be introducing contactless payments for car washes and installing more self-check outs – all aimed at bringing more convenience and simplicity to its customer base.
-
Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON PUMPS: Dispensing advice
Top 50 Indie Highway Stops’ Park Royal Service Station in north west London became the first forecourt in the UK to receive a full repump with four Mepsan Smartline L dispensers plus a Mepsan Cosmic pump for its HGV lane earlier this year.
-
Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON SUMMER: Sizzling sales
Who can forget summer 2022? On July 19, a new UK and England record was set when thermometers hit 40.3 degrees in Lincolnshire. Not only was this a 1.6 degree increase on the previously recorded hottest temperate, it was also the first time 40 degrees was recorded in the UK.
-
Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON PUMP-TOP PROMOTIONS: Crowning glory
Filling up with petrol or diesel is not the most exciting of activities. Yes, some sites have state-of-the-art tech that features snazzy screens that distract you by telling you about the latest offers you can find in-store. But more will have pump crowners telling you about some gadget or other that you just can’t live without. You know the types of things – ranging from the super-useful such as the dashboard phone mount to the item you never thought you needed until you saw it – such as a Super Sonic Scrubber.
-
Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON SUMMER ALCOHOL: Refreshing sales
Everyone likes a drink, right? Well, apparently not everyone. According to the Health Survey for England, 2021 (published in December 2022), 79% of participants reported that they had drunk alcohol in the last 12 months, and 49% reported that they drank alcohol at least once a week. So that leaves just over 20% who say they don’t drink alcohol.
-
Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON ICE CREAM: The big chill
When the sun comes out, ice cream sales typically rise but nowadays there is another sales booster for ice cream, and that is the big night in (BNI).
-
Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON SUSTAINABILITY: Can saving the planet save you money?
Depending on where you look, the definition of the word ‘sustainability’ is different but there’s no doubting it is one of the biggest buzzwords of the 21st century. Way back in 1987, the United Nations Brundtland Commission defined sustainability as “meeting the needs of the present without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs”. Meanwhile, the Oxford Learner’s Dictionary defines it as “the use of natural products and energy in a way that does not harm the environment”.
-
Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON SOFT DRINKS: Thirsty work
To say soft drinks are a big seller at Eurospar Donegall Road in Belfast would definitely be something of an understatement. Customers love soft drinks, confirms manager David Harrison, who added that they sell over £7,600-worth of impulse drinks and £5,000-worth of take-home drinks every week. The store is a great example of best practice in managing the soft drinks category, so much so that it was a finalist in last year’s Forecourt Trader of the Year Awards.
-
Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON CHOCOLATE: Tempting treats
Chocolate consumption reached heady heights during the Covid pandemic as consumers comforted themselves at home with sweets and treats. But sales melted away in 2022 thanks to last summer’s blisteringly hot weather, so how is the chocolate category doing today?
-
Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON CAR CARE AND LUBES: Jump-start sales
While you might think that car care would be one of the most obvious categories to find in a forecourt store, it is often overlooked as space is given over to ‘sexier’ sales categories such as chilled food or food to go. However, luckily for motorists, some forecourt stores still pride themselves on offering a decent car care and lubricants range. One such store is Peregrine Retail’s BP Budgens Dunball in Bridgwater, Somerset, which was a finalist in the 2022 Forecourt Trader of the Year awards in the car care category, and winner of the best site in the South West and Wales in the 4mlpa-plus category.
-
Focus On Feature FOCUS ON FORECOURT MAINTENANCE: Cleaning up
There may not be as many forecourts in the UK than there once were but most drivers still have a choice as to where they fill up. They could choose a forecourt because it is on their way to work, it could be the one at the supermarket where they shop or it could be the one where they can do an easy top-up shop at the same time.
-
Focus On FeatureNCS 2023: sign up, show up and give your site the competitive edge
If you’re looking to catch up with suppliers face to face, see new products and services and catch a lively presentation discussing the issues that matter, then the National Convenience Show 2023 is the place for you.
-
Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON EV CHARGING: Sparking debate
With the headline ‘Spark’s gone’, The Sun’s recent story about drivers ditching EVs in their droves to return to petrol vehicles due to lack of charging stations has definitely given people food for thought.
-
Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON FOOD TO GO: On a roll
The Rollover brand is big in cinemas – Cineworld, for instance, offers them – and they are also sold at 60 football clubs around the UK including nearly a dozen Premiership sides. However, the forecourt sector is an important one for the brand too, so much so that Rollover has increased the number of people in its field sales team. These are the people who will do an initial site visit when a retailer expresses an interest in having Rollover in their store and, once the brand is in situ, will follow up with regular store visits to support the site and check on compliance.
-
Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON EASTER: Good eggs
Cadbury Creme Eggs remain as popular as ever, indeed according to Nielsen stats, they are purchased four times more than your average Easter product. Much of their appeal lies in the fact that they are only available for a few months every year and then there’s the promotional campaign that supports them.
-
Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON SNACKS: Snack, crackle and shop
Despite the massive size of the crisps, snacks and nuts (CSN) category – worth £3.8bn and counting, according to Nielsen data – there is still room for growth.
-
Focus On FeatureFOCUS ON TANKS AND PIPEWORK: Your best defence
Your primary (tank), secondary (bund) and tertiary (separator) containment systems are your first, second and third line of defence against environmental pollution. So says Shirley Miles, head of environmental protection, at Adler and Allan.