All Forecourt Trader articles in February 2013
View all stories from this issue.
-
News
Grangemouth tanker driver dispute settled
Unite tanker drivers at Scotland’s only oil refinery in Grangemouth have called off industrial action after settling their dispute with BP.The drivers had already staged a three-day strike, and were due to begin a four-day stoppage on Thursday February 28.Following negotiations, the oil company will now recompense tanker drivers who, ...
-
News
Diesel thieves caught in the act
Intruders who siphoned off thousands of pounds worth of diesel from a petrol filling site were caught in the act by police after sudden loss alarms tipped off staff.The theft took place at Forest Lane Service Station, on the A614 near Calverton, Nottinghamshire, which is owned by Brobot Petroleum, the ...
-
News
Morrisons acquires six HMV stores
Morrisons has added to its portfolio of sites to be converted to its M convenience store format with the purchase of six HMV stores from the company’s administrators, Deloitte.The purchase comes just over a week after the supermarket group bought 49 Blockbuster stores and shortly before that acquired seven former ...
-
News
AA gears up for ’unlucky’ 13 number plate
The AA says its patrols will be on heightened alert as new cars with the latest 13 number plates begin to roll off the UK’s forecourts after midnight on Thursday, to ensure it is not unlucky 13 for new owners.Traditionally, some new car owners have to call out the AA ...
-
News
Esso offers Tesco Clubcard points at alliance sites
Exxon Mobil has introduced Tesco Clubcard points on fuel at the Esso sites it runs jointly with the supermarket group, and is looking to roll out the loyalty scheme to its wider service station network, including dealer owned sites. There are 198 Esso-Tesco Alliance service stations in the UK, featuring ...
-
News
Emergency relaxation of fuel tanker driver rules
The Department for Transport has announced a temporary, and limited, emergency relaxation of rules governing tanker drivers in reaction to the industrial action at Grangemouth refinery in Scotland. The temporary relaxation currently applies until 23:59 on Thursday 28 February 2013 and will apply only to drivers involved in the delivery ...
-
News
Eurogarages to convert Little Chefs to Starbucks
Petrol forecourt operator EuroGarages has taken on the leases of five former Little Chefs for conversion to coffee shops under a licensing arrangement with Starbucks. The lettings were brokered by specialist property adviser Christie & Co.The sites — Hailsham in East Sussex, Wirral, Wansford in Cheshire, Wrexham and Worksop — ...
-
News
Supermarket fuel discounts should face axe, says PRA
The initiative by the Australian Competition and Consumer Commission (ACCC) that will see supermarkets stick to helping shoppers with lower grocery pricing instead of subsidising fuel offers is music to the ears of all our small, often family-owned and run, petrol filling stations, according to Brian Madderson, chairman of the ...
-
News
RHA calls for action on duty
The UK’s road transport operators are calling on the Chancellor to address the issue of high duty levels on fuel in next month’s Budget as prices approach an all-time high. According to the Road Haulage Association’s latest weekly fuel survey on 25th February, diesel is less than one penny off ...
-
News
Best Forecourt Loo 2013
Never mind how slick your convenience offering is, do you know that toilets are the number one irritant to customers when it comes specifically to the forecourt shop, according to Palmer and Harvey/Him! research?To try and turn this rather unsavoury view into something more positive, Forecourt Trader, in conjunction with ...
-
News
Madderson urges cancellation of September duty rise
With pump prices set to continue rising, the Chancellor must take swift action in the Budget on March 20 to cancel the proposed duty rise in September and cut this damaging tax which restricts economic recovery and adds to inflation, according to Brian Madderson, chairman of the Petrol Retailers’ ...
-
News
Tanker drivers tell BP ’to do the right thing’
Unite tanker drivers at Grangemouth have told BP ‘to do the right thing’ over cuts to pay and pensions and are preparing for a long battle as 72 hours of strike action started at 4am this morning (Friday, February 22). With workers manning the picket line and up to 10 ...
-
News
PRA concerned by tanker driver action
The strike threat by tanker drivers at Grangemouth oil refinery in Scotland is seriously concerning the petrol retailing industry, as echoes of the chaos caused by a similar situation last March emerge. Unite said its members at the Forth estuary facility will walk out for three days from today in ...
-
News
ACS calls for fairer energy market
The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has urged the government’s energy regulator Ofgem to apply the same priority to delivering a fairer energy market for small businesses as it does households, as it announces sweeping changes to domestic energy contracts.ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “We applaud the commitment being shown by ministers and Ofgem to delivering a fairer more competitive energy market. We urge the Government to extend this urgency and commitment to the reform of the non-domestic market.“Ofgem’s proposals for protecting micro-businesses must be extended to all small businesses. ACS has campaigned for, and been promised, measures including strict rules on the information suppliers must provide to business customers about contract terms and limits on companies blocking retailers switching to new providers. These are needed just as urgently as changes in the household energy market.“We will continue to press for action until retailers see a real change in the way they are treated in the energy market.”Ofgem’s proposals for reform of the household market were announced on Thursday February 21 and were welcomed by the government with Prime Minister David Cameron commenting: “The package announced today is a huge step towards energy bills that are more fair for everyone.”
-
News
AA reports 5ppl surge in fuel prices since January
Petrol prices in the UK have shot up 5ppl over the past month, according to the latest AA fuel price report. It blames speculation in the fuel and currency markets as being the main drivers of what it describes as the third price surge in less than a year. The ...
-
News
Roadchef raises £5,000 for Thirsty Planet
Leading motorway service area operator Roadchef has been awarded with a gold certificate from Thirsty Planet, the British bottled spring water company, after raising over £5,000 towards the installation of 10 water pumps in Malawi, Africa.The 10 pumps will provide clean, safe water to over 1,000 people, across many village ...
-
News
Report highlights supermarket growth in petrol
The massive impact supermarkets have had on the petrol market in the decade between 2001 and 2011 is highlighted by a new report, The Way We Pay, published by the Payments Council. It says the amount spent on petrol in supermarkets almost tripled in the decade to 2011, and the ...
-
News
Grangemouth tanker drivers plan three-day strike
Tanker drivers at Grangemouth oil refinery, in the Firth of Forth, Scotland, are threatening to strike at the end of the week in a dispute over pensions and pay.Their union, Unite, said its members at the Forth estuary facility will walk out for three days from Friday morning. The workers, ...
-
News
Used car prices fall
The average price of used cars sold at auctions fell by more than 10% in January compared with the previous month, according to the National Association of Motor Auctions (NAMA).Its report shows that during January the average values of used cars sold at auction decreased from £5,402 to £4,856, equivalent ...
-
News
£37m funding to encourage plug-in vehicles
The government has announced a £37m funding package to encourage take-up of plug-in vehicles. It will use the funding to provide 75% of the cost of installing new charge points for: people installing chargepoints where they live; local authorities installing rapid charge points to facilitate longer journeys, or ...