All Forecourt Trader articles in January 2013
View all stories from this issue.
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News
OFT report a ’missed opportunity’ says Forum
The Forum of Private Business has described the OFT’s decision not to launch a full investigation into the state of fuel pricing as a ‘missed opportunity’. The not-for-profit small business support group said it would be cold comfort for many firms reliant on fuel to do business that the OFT ...
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P&H launches software for forecourts
Software to help forecourts understand their local customer base, and tailor the product range to their needs, is being made available to Palmer and Harvey customers. The delivered wholesaler, which says it supplies more than 70% of the country’s forecourts, has made InSite Locator software available to its Mace symbol ...
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News
CCTV released of machete raider
Police investigating a robbery at a BP garage in Hythe, Kent, have released images of a man they want to speak to.A man entered the garage at Military Road at 9.40pm on Tuesday, January 15, and pulled out a machete from his jeans. He waved it in front of staff ...
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Imo puts 48 sites up for sale
IMO Car Washes has put 48 of its sites up for sale through Manchester-based chartered surveyors Hindley Lawrence.Forty four of the sites are situated in England stretching from Essex, London and the Isle of Wight in the South to Cumbria and County Durham in the North. The other four sites ...
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Robbery at Huddersfield forecourt
Kirklees CID are appealing for witnesses to a robbery at Lockwood Filling Station on Lockwood Road in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire. A man went into the Jet garage at 8.45pm on Sunday, threatened the attendant working there, and demanded cash. The staff member said he could not open the till and ...
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News
No to full investigation as OFT concludes competition in road fuel sector is working well
There is no evidence of anti-competitive practices being used against independent fuel retailers on a national scale, according to the much-awaited review of the petrol retailing sector by the Office of Fair Trading, published today. The OFT concluded that competition is working well, and that rises in pump prices for ...
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News
OFT decision ’bitter blow’ to smaller dealers, says PRA
The decision by the OFT to not proceed with a full market study into the UK retail fuels sector, has been condemned by the Petrol Retailers’ Association. Brian Madderson, PRA chairman said “This was a prime opportunity, supported by considerable new information from our retailers, to tackle market manipulation of ...
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Scottish cigarette display regs confirmed
The Scottish Government has issued new guidance confirming when its display ban on tobacco will affect retailers.Larger stores, classified as having a sales area greater than 280sq m, will have to comply with the new legislation by 29th April this year, while stores smaller than this will be given an ...
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Call for consultation over plain packaging
The Department of Health (DoH) has been urged to engage with petrol retailers after newspaper reports that it is consulting with “interested parties” about introducing plain packaging for tobacco products.Brian Madderson, chairman of the Petrol Retailers Association, wrote to the DoH pointing out that it represents 5,500 independent forecourt owner/operators.He ...
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News
Robbers attack forecourt worker
Robbers have attacked a young forecourt attendant on his first unsupervised shift, despite the shop being locked and only operating for fuel sales.Two men burst through a skylight at the Worsted Filling Station off the A11 at Babraham, south of Cambridge, and beat the 26-year-old with broken snooker cues, demanding ...
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HKS Motors completes purchase of two sites
HKS Motors has completed the acquisition of two petrol stations, one on Alfreton Road in Derby and one on Saffron Lane in Leicester, backed by a £700,000 finance package from Santander Corporate & Commercial banking.Leicester-based HKS Motors, established in 1984 with its first filling station on Ashby Road in Coaville, ...
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News
Heavy cost of snowy weather
New research commissioned by Green Flag Breakdown reveals Brits missed 51.4 million working hours in the past week as a result of the poor weather conditions. Over 8.5 million (18%) British adults have been unable to work their contracted hours because of the adverse weather, costing employers an estimated £318 ...
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Pump dumper pooh-poohs forecourt etiquette
A pensioner caught short while filling up at a forecourt in Seaton, Devon, has been issued an £80 penalty notice by local police for defecating in the rear of his car and dumping the result at the pump before driving off.In broad daylight and within full view of surveillance cameras, ...
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News
Fuel prices to rocket following ’shock’ rise in wholesale costs
The shock rise in wholesale costs is just one of the reasons why the Petrol Retailers’ Assocation (PRA) has been knocking on the door of the Office for Fair Trading (OFT), since this time last year, to demand a full investigation into the workings of the UK market for road ...
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PRA calls for new planning rules to stop hypermarkets ’steam-rollering’ local businesses into oblivion
Nick Boles MP, Parliamentary Under Secretary of State for Planning, has been urged by the Petrol Retailer’s Association to develop new planning guidance for filling stations that prevents hypermarkets steam-rollering local businesses into oblivion without due process taking place. In a letter to Boles at the Department for Communities and ...
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News
Thieves steal diesel from garage
Police are appealing for information about the theft of 3,300 litres of diesel from the GL Clarke petrol station on Spilsby Road, Horncastle, Lincolnshire, on Tuesday January 10. Owner Richard Clarke said the criminals were so professional that they left no trace and that it was not until the tank ...
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News
Fuel deliveries getting through despite weather
Oil companies say they have been able to maintain fuel deliveries with minimal disruption despite the heavy snowfall in many parts of the country. David Hobson, commercial manager of Gulf Retail, said local authorities appear to have coped with gritting and keeping main roads clear of snow much better than ...
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News
Petition urges crackdown on smugglers
A campaign against the illegal tobacco trade has been launched by the Lancashire Evening Post, because it says the trade is fuelling crime in local communities. The newspaper has set up an e-petition on the Government’s website calling for a crackdown on tobacco smugglers, and if it can obtain 100,000 ...
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News
Used light commercial vehicle prices up
The average value of used Light Commercial Vehicles (LCV) at auction rose 4% last month, compared with the previous month. According to the National Association of Motor Auctions (NAMA) Light Commercial Vehicle (LCV) market report for December average values at auction increased from £4,500 to £4,700. However, total sales fell ...
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News
HKS signs new supply deal with BP
A new fuel supply deal has been agreed by HKS - number 10 in Forecourt Trader’s Top 50 Indies - and BP to continue their long-standing partnership. The agreement is for BP to supply a total of 22 HKS petrol stations, rising to 23 in April, and will include five ...