All Latest News articles – Page 429
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NewsThe Frasers are winners again
Robert and Hugh Fraser took the top award at the glittering Forecourt Trader of the Year 2007 ceremony held at the London Hilton on September 20. Both having been individual winners of the award – Robert in 1997 and Hugh in 1998 – this is the first time in the ...
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Booze ban threat for Scottish forecourts
Forecourt operators in Scotland may be banned from selling alcohol under new laws. Licensing chiefs in Glasgow have outlined plans to refuse a petrol station permission to sell alcohol unless it can prove it is the main source or petrol or groceries in the local area. The city’s licensing board is the first in Scotland to put forward such plans to remove booze from forecourt stores. The draft policy states that if the licensing board refuses an application, the business will not be able to sell alcohol after September 1, 2009. The document adds that when the Licensing Board is considering licences at forecourts, it would, as a matter of general policy, “take the view that no community in Glasgow is reliant on such premises as a principal source of petrol or derv, or groceries, given the widespread provision of such facilities throughout the city”. But it adds that the individual circumstances of each case will be taken into account when making such a decision. The 2005 Licensing Act allows all boards across the country to introduce the measure. And there are fears that if the move goes ahead in Glasgow, other areas could follow suit. Opponents claim that the proposal victimises retailers and could have a serious impact on the industry. Ray Holloway, director of the Petrol Retailers’ Association (PRA), said: “It’s outrageously discriminatory against the forecourt industry. “It’s a crazy idea because these licences were originally granted on the criteria known to the licensing authorities. “We’ve been having an increasing number of enquiries from members in Scotland over this issue. I’ve spoken to the alcohol licensing specialist in Scotland and they do intend to address this criteria which excludes garages from having licences.” The proposal means the existing criteria - that a garage cannot get an alcohol licence unless it can show that fuel is not the biggest part of its business - would no longer be accepted. Holloway points out that the plans mean supermarkets with a forecourt business could also be banned from having a licence. The draft policy statement is currently out for consultation. “It does seem this is a threat to the industry, and it means we’ll probably have to launch a campaign,” said Holloway. “We intend to challenge it.”
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BP secures new five-year deal with Moto
BP has signed a new five year fuel supply deal with the UK’s largest motorway operator, Moto. The deal secures volume on 18 existing BP-branded motorway locations, where BP and Moto have been in partnership for the past 10 years, but a further 17 Moto sites, currently supplied by alternative ...
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PRA calls for delay in duty rise
The Government should postpone the fuel duty increase scheduled for October 1, or risk putting undue financial strain on motorists and petrol retailers alike, according to Ray Holloway, director of the RMI Petrol Retailers Association (PRA). The upcoming two-pence-per-litre increase was announced in March as part of the Budget, but ...
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ACS warns tobacco licensing will lead to more red tape
The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has slammed calls to license tobacco products.ACS chief executive James Lowman said the proposal by the British Medical Association’s (BMA) Scottish Council to introduce the system would result in more red tape.“Introducing a positive licensing system for tobacco would be a disproportionate and costly ...
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DHL wins BP distribution deal
DHL has signed a multi-million pound retail deal with BP.The contract means DHL will deliver 30 million cases of fresh chill, ambient and secure products such as milk, soft drinks and sandwiches to 350 UK retail forecourts each year. The company will use double deck trailers for transporting goods between ...
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Fairbanks teams up with Murco
Fairbanks is to provide fuel management services to some of Murco’s UK retail outlets.The company will handle Murco’s wetstock management, including their SIR (Statistical Inventory Reconciliation) service and their new generation real time “ibank” offering.It will concentrate on early leak detection and reducing the instances of over-dispensing meters.All parts of ...
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ACS slams ’dodgy’ comments
The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has written to the Home Secretary, Jacqui Smith, about her comments blaming ’dodgy off licences’ for under-age drinking problems.ACS chief executive, James Lowman, explained: "The c-store sector has worked very hard to prevent young people buying alcohol illegally. The Home Secretary’s comments will ...
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Total helps actors to go a Long Way Down
The ’Long Way Round’ was obviously not enough for actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman, as the pair have just completed the ’Long Way Down’.The 15,000 mile epic motorbike adventure took them from the northern-most tip of Scotland to the southern-most tip of South Africa.Total was the fuel sponsor ...
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Lynn & Vigar go in Texaco restructure
Chevron’s vice president of marketing in Europe, and keynote speaker at the last Top Indies dinner, John Lynn, and general manager of retail sales, Guy Vigar, are moving on to new roles following a restructure at Chevron Ltd.The company has announced a new structure for its marketing operations in ...
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Shell takes control of Swayfields sites
Shell UK has agreed terms to create a long-term relationship with the Swayfields Group under which it will take operational control of a package of filling stations across the UK. It will take new long-term leases on all Swayfields Group existing and new development motorway service area filling stations. ...
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PRA pushes for grants scheme
The government is being urged to take action and inject public funds into struggling forecourts. The Petrol Retail Association (PRA) is calling on Westminster to consider a grant scheme similar to one already operating in Scotland. The plea comes in light of the latest figures from forecourt network specialist Catalist, ...
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Total sells share in Milford Haven refinery
Total is to sell its 70% interest in the Milford Haven refinery in Wales to its partner Murco Petroleum for $250m (£123m). The move means Murco will have sole ownership of the 5.3m ton-per-year facility - and will be the only employer at the refinery. The sale of the site in Pembrokeshire, south-west Wales, is expected to be completed by the end of the year. Claiborne P Deming, Murphy Oil Corporation’s president and chief executive officer, said: "The purchase of the remaining interest in the Milford Haven refinery provides us with a unique opportunity to expand our position in the UK marketplace via a strategic, competitive asset we know very well. For over 26 years the company has been a partner in this facility and we look forward to our extended role in optimising the plant in the future while creating a conduit for added retail growth. "The 2005 purchase of 68 additional retail sites increased our penetration into the UK retail market significantly. Acquiring the refinery further strengthens our footprint in the area and positions us well for the future." Meanwhile Total wants to concentrate its UK refining operations at its Lindsey Oil Refinery on the south bank of the Humber estuary. The oil giant recently started a 300m euro (£203m) capital investment programme at the Lindsey facility, which has a capacity of 10m metric tons. This was designed to meet the growing demand for low-sulphur diesel. Total, which makes almost 10m tons of petroleum products a year in the UK and has 900 service stations, said the announcement of the sale reflected its strategy of upgrading its industrial base and adjusting to market trends.
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NewsLinda joins the team
Meet Linda Harrison - our new features editor who joins from the Daily Star.
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Results of this month’s online poll:
As parts of the country mop up after the floods, do you believe you are adequately covered for damage to property and loss of business following such a disaster?YES43%YES36%NOT SURE21%A lot of you don’t know if your insurance policy would cover you in the event of another flooding disaster. Better ...
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TyreSafe puts the pressure on safety
Tyre Safe is running a tyre safety awareness campaign throughout October. It was originally planned as a week-long event but following massive interest and support from tyre retailers and manufacturers, it was decided to extend it to a whole month.Tyre Safety Month, the first national tyre safety industry initiative ...
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Subway expansion hits the 1,000 mark
Subway has opened its 1,000th outlet in the UK and Ireland, and its rapid expansion here includes 30 franchises on forecourts and three in convenience stores. It currently has a further 60 outlets in the forecourt and c-store sectors in development.Three stores opened on the same day to take ...
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Gulf signs up two more in race to 200
Gulf Retail’s recent signing of the three million-litre Taverham Filling Station near Norwich, moves the company closer to reaching its goal of 200 active sites - it currently has 190.Zep and Trudi Ciarla own the site and made the switch to Gulf after years with Jet. "We had been ...
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Forecourt property boom
Last year property agent Christie & Co sold and advised on more forecourt transactions than ever before - and it reports that this trend has continued in the first half of 2007.Director and head of retail, Tony Evans, said that in addition to the traditional fuel retailer, there had been ...