All Forecourt Trader articles in July 2013
View all stories from this issue.
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News
Forecourt could face £30,000 fine for using illegal workers
Three illegal workers from Sri Lanka have been arrested following a raid on a BP forecourt in Sittingbourne, Kent. Acting on intelligence, officers visited the site last Friday night, where they questioned staff to check if they had the right to be in the UK. They arrested two men at the garage and one at an address nearby, which is used for staff accommodation. All three were found to be working in breach of their visa conditions. The men were transferred to immigration detention pending their removal from the UK. The forecourt was served a notice warning that a civil penalty of up to £10,000 per illegal worker will be imposed unless proof is provided that the correct right-to-work checks were carried out. This means a potential fine of up to £30,000. Louise Whiteoak, head of the Home Office immigration enforcement team in Kent and Sussex, said: “Our enforcement teams carry out operations like this almost every day in Kent and those arrested for immigration offences face being detained until they are removed. They also face a ban from returning to the UK. If you are a business you must carry out the correct checks on your staff or you could end up with a heavy fine.”
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Topaz scores in Europe again!
Topaz scores in Europe again! Irish firm Topaz has been recognised as one of the Best Large Workplaces in Europe for the second time in three years.
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Asda withdraws petrol station plan
Asda has withdrawn plans to build a new petrol station at its Highbridge store in Burnham-on-Sea, Somerset after objections over safety issues.
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New call for drivers to check engine oil regularly
A survey of 1,000 UK drivers, conducted on behalf of Mobil 1, has revealed that one in five (19.4%) admitted they were only prompted to check their engine oil when an instrument panel warning sign was activated. And, when it eventually comes to checking oil levels, over half of those questioned (51.6%) said that they leave it to others to do, for example a forecourt attendant, relative or friend.
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"Incredible" rampage on forecourt
A man’s drunken rampage in a Halifax BP forecourt store was described as “incredible” and “absolutely amazing” by a shocked magistrate.
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Pay-by-smartphone fuel solution
MiFuel, a solution that lets drivers pay for fuel using their mobile phones, is now available from Micros Systems.
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Top 50 Indies share best practice at annual forecourt seminar
Top 50 indies Patrick Sewell of Sewell Retail and Jeremy Clarke of Motor Fuel Group shared their philosophies on running a petrol retail business at the annual Forecourt Seminar organised by the Association of Convenience Stores and Petrol Retailers Association. Record numbers attended the event at the King Tower Stadium ...
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PSD Codax helps Australian forecourts
UK-based PSD Codax is helping BP in Australia take control of its car wash revenue. BP is integrating Codax Code Generator technology with its pos system to improve sales data reporting and security at sites across Australia. The system has been rolled out in conjunction with car wash equipment from ...
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Simon Smith sells award-winning site
Top 50 Indie, Simon Smith Retail, has sold its award-winning Barnwood Budgens site in Gloucester. The company received “an offer they couldn’t refuse” from BP/M&S Simply Food, director Susie Hawkins told Forecourt Trader. “It was a good deal for us and a good deal for them,” she said. The site ...
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News
Industry experts join Universe Group
Following its recent acquisition of Indigo Retail, Universe Group (parent company of HTEC) has appointed a number of experienced people within the industry to assist with the integration of Indigo’s software solutions within the HTEC range. The combined business aims to deliver an “innovative market-leading offer that provides outstanding products ...
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Maxol welcomes investment to tackle fuel laundering
Brian Donaldson, chief operating officer of The Maxol Group, has welcomed the announcement that an additional £1.5m will be spent on new surveillance equipment and additional staff as part of a heightened offensive against criminals involved in fuel laundering in Northern Ireland. He said: ”Maxol has always been committed to ...
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Sewell Retail signs up to Payment Watch
Top 50 Indie Sewell Retail has joined the British Oil Security Syndicate’s (BOSS’s) Payment Watch scheme. All 12 of the company’s sites are now part of the ‘no means of payment’ debt recovery scheme. Kevin Eastwood, executive director at BOSS, commented: “We’re very pleased to have the opportunity to extend ...
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Merril Boulton: Radio 4 on the case
Good to hear PRA chairman Brian Madderson on BBC Radio 4 last month giving his usual bit of welly on behalf of the industry. If you didn’t hear it you can catch up online on iPlayer Radio. The subject of the File On 4 programme (June 25, 8pm) was about ...
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AA launches website for car buyers
The AA has launched a new website – theaacars.com – designed to take the stress out of buying a car by offering advice and transparency in putting consumers in touch with recognised dealers. Every buyer using the service will be provided with an AA Cars History Check, so that they ...
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PRA rebukes AA over claims of profiteering
The PRA has angrily hit back at claims by the AA that dealers are profiteering on the price they charge for diesel.The AA claims that differentials between the wholesale and retail price of diesel, compared with petrol, suggest retailers are "creaming up to £1 a tank extra off diesel car ...
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PRA calls for tougher action over illicit fuel
The Petrol Retailers’ Association has expressed concern over the rise in availability of illicit fuel and has called on Government to take action after HM Revenue & Customs announced a rapid increase of illicit fuel detections.The number of detections in Great Britain have increased by 132% over the past four ...
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Morrisons renews Eurotank maintenance agreement
Morrisons has renewed its tank maintenance contract with Eurotank Environmental for a further three years.Eurotank will continue to undertake all tank maintenance services including tank cleaning and tank and line testing on all 316 Morrisons petrol filling stations as well as 11 regional distribution centres.Ahmed Mulla, Morrisons’ forecourt operations manager, ...
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All’s swell at Bradwell
Earlier this year Refuel & Go’s Bradwell Service Station in Braintree was awarded the accolade of Symbol Retailer of the Year at Palmer & Harvey’s Pro Retail gala dinner. Despite having only opened in July 2012, the 1,200sq ft-plus store is on course to achieve shop sales of around £20,000 ...
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Blended with care
British American Tobacco has extended its Cutters Choice roll-your-own (RYO) tobacco line- up with the launch of A True Blend.Made from a modified Virginia blend with no artificial flavours, the line extension is a ’true blend’ that allows adult RYO smokers to experience tobacco without any taste additives. The new ...