All Forecourt Trader articles in February 2009
View all stories from this issue.
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Top tipple
A growing number of retailers are selling alcohol on their sites - and reaping the rewards.Latest figures from Experian Catalist show that about 2,450 forecourts had an alcohol licence in December 2008, out of a total of 9,264 sites operating in the UK market. This compares to 2,235 out of ...
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Stairway to success
MRH (GB) is, by some distance, the biggest independent fuel retailer in the UK. Hence its number one ranking on Forecourt Trader’s latest Top 50 Indies listing - where it looks like staying for some time to come.It currently has 295 sites, with a fuel volume totalling 1.1 billion litres ...
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Something special
== Impulse Ice Cream Outletsponsored by Wall’s ==The Spar Castlerock Road site in Coleraine, Northern Ireland, won this award for its impressive ice cream display.Gareth Roberts, impulse retail channel controller at Unilever, says the most important factor for retailers is keeping the ice cream cabinet bright, clean and well-maintained. He ...
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The pleasure zone
An on-pack promotion on Magnum, which starts next month, will give consumers the chance to ’Win a Magnum Pleasure Card’. Each Pleasure Card is a prepaid MasterCard loaded with money (from £10 to £1,000) which winners can spend on whatever they want. There are over £1m-worth of Pleasure Cards available ...
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On-the-road training
Westomatic Vending Services is inviting retailers to attend a series of workshops around the UK to learn more about its products. Each workshop is divided into two dedicated zones, technical and sales, to enable bespoke training.Mark Rhodes, Westomatic marketing manager, said: "We wanted to provide an innovative way of supporting ...
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Yellow means value
Golden Virginia Yellow is a new value-for-money addition to the popular handrolling tobacco range. It comes in 12.5g, 25g and 50g packs with recommended retail prices of £2.73, £5.35 and £10.59 respectively.Price-marked packs are also available for the 12.5g and 25g sizes - at £2.65 and £5.25 respectively.Alistair Brown, UK ...
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The sky’s the limit
Walkers is launching Red Sky potato chips into the premium sharing category. The company says they offer "the best of nature" as they are made from 100% natural ingredients.They come in four flavours: West Country bacon & cream cheese in 150g and 40g bags; Anglesey sea salt in 150g and ...
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Law and order
== Limited company annual accounts - steeper late filing penalties ==As many of the oil majors have sold off sites in recent years, quite a few small independent retailers have acquired them - often setting up private limited companies to do so. One of the annual deadlines faced by all ...
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Juicy profits for you
Tropicana has refreshed its on-the-go offering with the launch of three new flavours to spearhead growth in the impulse channel and drive retailer profits. The latest additions to the single-serve range are: orange & mango; mango, peach & papaya; and passionfruit, pear & apple. Brand owner PepsiCo expects them to ...
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An irreverant view from the network
It’s a funny old world, Saint Greavesie used to say, and if he was talking about petrol retailing he was dead right. How things have changed round in the past 10 years, especially with regard to the almost total switch over to Platt’s deals.In the old days of margin ...
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Taking the initiative
== winnerGulf Retail Store Consultancy Programme == Gulf Retail’s Store Consultancy Programme was the winner of the Oil Company Initiative award. It is designed to support its dealers to help them grow sustainable businesses on and off the forecourt. The shop programme is one of the key elements of the ...
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Harvesting rewards
Ocean Spray is launching new advertising creatives this month across a variety of media as part of an ongoing £15m-plus total brand support package. It has also unveiled its biggest trade support programme to further develop its independent retail channels - The Ocean Spray Harvest Club. Promoted under the strapline ...
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Question time with Michael Harris
== Why was the CWA formed? == The Association was formed in 2008 to represent all operators of vehicle washing facilities who provide their services responsibly, adhering to all relevant laws and regulations. With the increasing fragmentation of the motorist service sector and the many commercial pressures facing its players, ...
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New products galore
WashTec is launching a raft of car washing equipment including a new roll-over car wash, jet wash range, turbo vacuum, and air and water tower. According to Dawn Frazer, WashTec marketing manager, improved features and services include better wheel washing, better drying and a deeper shine.WashTec is also bringing out ...
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Frozen’s solid
When it comes to chilled and frozen foods, it’s always chilled that takes the limelight. It’s seen as profitable and exciting but in these straitened times it seems that more consumers are turning to frozen foods. Indeed according to AC Nielsen data, the frozen category is enjoying value and volume ...
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Top indies on track for expansion
Most of the biggest petrol retailing independents still have their eye on expansion, despite the curent economic climate, according to the data gathered in our latest Top 50 Indies listing, published as a supplement within this issue. Companies such as MRH (GB), Park Garage Group, MPK Garages and ...
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How to enter Giveaways
Write your name, address and phone number on a postcard or sealed envelope stating what you want – Relentless, Tropicana, Swan or Wrigley – and we’ll do the rest, including delivery. Send it to us at Forecourt Trader, William Reed Business Media, Broadfield Park, Crawley, West Sussex RH11 9RT by ...
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Maximum effort, Mini prize
Benny Cherian, a cashier at a Texaco site in Skippool, Poulton-le-Fylde in Lancashire, has a won a Mini for his efforts in promoting Texaco’s loyalty card. As part of the launch of the brand’s Star Rewards scheme, forecourt staff were encouraged to help customers sign up for a loyalty card. ...
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Naturally does it for new food and drink launches
The craze for everything natural is confirmed by the latest review from the Mintel Global New Products Database, which has found that 23% of all food and drink lines launched last year had a ’natural’ claim. This was a 9% increase on 2007 figures. Claims ranged from ’all natural’ to ...
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Dresser Wayne goes high tech with new lines
Dresser Wayne is bringing two new hi-tech products to the market this spring which it says are both aimed at UK independents.The Global Star V is the latest version of the company’s hi-tech Global Star petrol pump.According to Annika Birkler, Dresser Wayne product manager - dispensers, the Global Star is ...