The space outside your shop is great for spurring impulse purchases. That’s the view of Roger Perry, owner of Harog Ltd, which operates two forecourts in Yorkshire.
“The space directly outside the shop is important as customers see this area while they are filling up and on their way in to pay. It can prompt an impulse purchase, especially of flowers.
“A nice tidy display can also set the scene for the rest of the shop, if things look untidy and the flowers are looking past it then customers may think that is what the rest of the shop will be like and just pay for their fuel and leave. And that’s not what we want.”
Steve Browne, sales and marketing manager at Convenience Distribution Group, agrees: “Outside bunkers are effectively the first thing a consumer sees while standing and filling their vehicle with fuel, therefore, the better looking and more comprehensive the display, the more they will shop from it.”
Browne explains that bunkers are ideal for larger products that can be stored outside making it easier for customer to pay for them and load into their vehicle. “They offer additional selling space for smaller sites and improved sales opportunities for larger sites. Depending on the size of the bunker, they can hold a lot of stock, minimising the need for regular replenishment, just simply keep the front row faced up.”
He says there are several products that need to be available all year round, with the rest of the lines needing to reflect the seasons.
“All-year-round lines include AdBlue, ready-to-use screen wash, paraffin, kindling, kiln dried logs for firepits and fuel cans. In addition to these lines, a summer bunker needs a comprehensive selection of barbecue products including charcoal in lumpwood and briquette options, fire lighters and barbecue lighting fluid. A winter bunker will need home heating products, such as smokeless coal, kiln dried logs, fire logs and also lines to keep motorists satisfied such as de-icer, ice scrapers and winter screen wash.
Perry displays flowers as well as large items like AdBlue, domestic fuel, charcoal and screen wash in this space. The popularity of individual items varies with the seasons. “In the colder weather 5ltr screen wash is very popular as well as domestic fuel. In the summer, it is charcoal if the weather is right. AdBlue and flowers are fairly solid sellers throughout the year.”
Solid sellers
Perry says AdBlue and screen wash are bulky products with good margins which need to be stocked. “Outside is ideal especially if you are short on space inside your shop,” he explains.
At Crawley Down Garage in Snow Hill, West Sussex, they keep the AdBlue and screen wash inside the shop. Forecourt manager David Wyatt explains: “We sell 10 litres of AdBlue for £32.99 and five litres for £19.99 and we make a 71% margin on that. I don’t put it outside as it’s too valuable and may get stolen. That said, we have £25 bags of charcoal outside the shop but that’s heavier for people to carry off and is put away in lockable units.”
Wyatt says keeping AdBlue inside is not a problem because if drivers want it they will ask for it or find it themselves. “We did look at having AdBlue on a pump but there really isn’t enough demand here. If we were near a motorway it would be different.”
Saying it with flowers
Perry says flowers are important, particularly for occasions like Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day. “On these occasions we will surround the shop windows with bouquets. But flowers are a great impulse purchase too. They are a great way to say “I love you” or “I am sorry” or as a gift for someone you are visiting. If customers see an attractive display while they are filling up, it can plant a seed in their mind that will lead to a purchase.”
At Snow Hill, flowers are kept outside too but if Wyatt had the space he would have them inside. “Flowers are hassle free. Ours are supplied by a company called Flower Fete on a sale or return basis so there is no risk our end. And Flower Fare come out twice a week to look after them for us. Most of the year sales tick over but at peak times such as Valentine’s Day and Mother’s Day, we can do £2,000 a week on flowers.”
Amar Ladwa from supplier SOR Flowers says his company’s best sellers are roses, mixed bunches and lilies. However, keeping an eye on the seasons is important which means stocking tulips in May, sunflowers over the summer and gerberas in the autumn.
As its name suggest, SOR Flowers offers flowers on sale or return meaning there’s no risk for retailers.
Display stands are supplied free on loan, and a rep visits sites weekly to manage the stock. Ladwa says retail prices typically range from £4.99 to £8.99 with PoR ranging from 30-40%.
“Our sales are increasing annually as customers can see that our quality is as good as or better than the local supermarket.”
Waste of space?
Wyatt says that previously, Snow Hill had newspapers and magazines inside the shop but it became a “waste of space”.
“We did away with magazines as we were getting too many titles dumped on us by our wholesaler that wouldn’t sell. There is a still a market for newspapers so we put them outside. I think that if we stopped selling them, people would go elsewhere to somewhere that did sell them.”
Perry has newspapers on display outside at one of his sites. The main reasoning here is space. “We don’t have room for them inside at Leven Services. When we redeveloped Prospect Service Station we moved newspapers inside. We have seen a gradual reduction in sales with time, the reduction has been greater at Leven where they are outside so I do not think having them outside is crucial. I make a small profit on news and lose quite a bit at Prospect because of the high delivery charges. When you take this into account and the time it takes to manage them, I really wonder if news is worth it.”
Snow Hil also does the usual barbecue coal, domestic coal, logs and lumpwood., with obviously more emphasis on the barbecue products in the summer and on logs and domestic coal in the winter.
The site sells restaurant-quality charcoal in 12kg bags, which sells for £25, giving a 35% margin. “It sells well because it is better quality and stays hotter for longer,” says Wyatt.
Keeping the front of the shop clean and tidy is vital and the outside area is included on Perry’s shops’ ‘to do list’. “It is one of the first things I see when I walk in so if it does not look right it quickly gets sorted,” he says.
Secure displays
As for the bunkers themselves, Sturdy Products’ Tidystore Plus is one of the company’s most popular storage solutions for forecourts, providing a secure, weather-resistant way to display and store products outside while keeping them neat, accessible and highly visible to customers. What is more, the Tidystore Plus can be used for promotional signage as it can be fitted with an advertising panel or company branding.
Meanwhile, Glasdon UK Limited offers the Nova storage bunker which it says combines secure storage with attractive product display in a compact footprint.
Also often featured alongside bunker products are bins, which obviously need to look smart and be fit for purpose.
“A clean, tidy forecourt creates a positive impression for customers, and well-positioned bins play a key role in achieving that,” says Corinne Sarkissian, export manager at Leafield Environmental.
“Regular emptying is just as important as bin placement to prevent overflow and maintain a welcoming environment.”
Debbie Taylor, sales development manager at Glasdon UK, says solutions such as the Super Guppy litter bin offer a durable and highly visible waste management solution that helps operators keep external areas clean and inviting. “By strategically positioning litter bins around pumps, parking areas and shop entrances, sites can significantly reduce litter accumulation and improve their overall appearance,” she says.
“A clean and well-maintained forecourt is essential for creating a positive customer experience and protecting a site’s reputation. Solutions such as the Super Guppy litter bin help operators keep external areas tidy, reduce litter and encourage responsible waste disposal, ensuring a welcoming and professional environment for customers,” Taylor continues.
She adds that effective use of bollards and posts can help protect key assets, guide traffic and reduce confusion and the risk of accidents. “Beyond their protective function, modern bollards can help create a more organised and professional site layout, helping operators manage vehicle movements and heavy client footfall.”
