All Latest News articles – Page 446
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News
Sales up in forecourt c-stores
Average sales in forecourt convenience stores have increased despite declining site numbers, according to the IGD’s Convenience Retailing 2006 report. Although the total number of forecourt-based c-stores fell by 3.6% over 2005, the report found that average sales per store had increased among the remaining 8,964 stores. The number of ...
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BP’s Simply Food pilot voted top by shoppers
BP’s partnership with M&S Simply Food has led to success in the Convenience Tracking Programme Awards where it was voted as the Best Forecourt Retailer following a poll of 27,000 shoppers across 30 retail chains.Runners up in the category were Esso on The Run and Texaco.The BP/M&S Simply Food format ...
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News
Gun attack men blasted as ’scum’
A petrol station owner has branded masked men who stuck a gun in the back of his cashier in a terrifying raid as "scum."Two men wearing hoods and scarves, burst into the BP garage at Casterton Hill, Leicestershire, in a 9.30pm raid. They ordered the 45-year-old cashier to ...
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NewsBP trials ’high-spec’ Ultimate on six sites
An ultra-premium fuel aimed at private motorsports enthusiasts has been launched on selected BP sites. Ultimate 102 costs around £2.42 a litre and is said to be the highest octane fuel available on UK forecourts.Launched on six trial sites in the South East, the unleaded fuel meets the same high ...
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News
In brief
Compass is selling its Moto service stations and Upper Crust food chain for £1.8bn. Moto is going to a consortium led by Australia’s Macquarie Bank while Compass’ fast food brands, including Upper Crust and Caffé Ritazza, are going to a private equity group in Sweden.The London Petroleum Gas Company ...
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NewsTexaco trials new group loyalty card
Texaco is trialling a new group loyalty card at 150 sites. The We.O.U card allows holders to pool their points (Texaco stars) to benefit local schools.This means a group of customers can sign up for a card with one central account so a substantial fund can be built up quickly. ...
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’Drive-offs’ status clarified
The British Oil Security Syndicate (BOSS) has won its ten-month campaign to change unpopular Home Office counting rules on drive-offs.New guidelines introduced in April 2005 had appeared to down-grade the crime status of ’making off without payment’ offences - which cost the industry more than £20m every year.However, the Home ...
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grocery digest
The Office of Fair Trading (OFT) is expected to officially announce shortly that the grocery market is to be referred to the Competition Commission for investigation. More than 1,000 submissions have reportedly been received by the OFT since its draft ruling in March saying it was ’minded’ to refer the ...
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NewsRetailers fuming over Shell stance
As the pound sign begins to break out on forecourts around the country, the running sore over Shell’s long-standing ’cut-price’ strategy is also adding to the tension felt by retailers.With price poles once again being the focus of the national media, retailers believe Shell’s cavalier approach to pricing is unnecessarily ...
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NewsOff licence key to Penhallow success
A switch to Spar, a refurbishment and the introduction of an off licence have led to a 20% increase in shop trade for a forecourt business in Newquay.Penhallow Filling Station was built more than 50 years ago by Garfield Hawkey. It was taken over by his daughter Elizabeth and is ...
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News
Results of this month’s online poll:
Will you donate to the ACS fighting fund to challenge the march of the supermarkets?YES 50%NO 50%The ACS has asked independent retailers to help fund its ongoing campaign for a fairer market. Our poll suggests the market is equally split, with half unable or unwilling to support them.
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News
ACS chief to retire
David Rae is to retire as chief executive of the Association of Convenience Stores by the end of 2006, after five years at the helm. The search for a replacement will begin following a board meeting on 16 May.Rae has recently steered ACS to success in winning an interim OFT ...
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NewsGet your awards entries in by June 9, 2006
The hunt is on for the next recipient of the industry’s most prestigious award - Forecourt Trader of the Year 2006. The awards are now 10 years old and continue to recognise the hard work and skills of petrol retailers nationwide, highlighting those who have displayed high standards of professionalism ...
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News
Retailers not ready for new ’age Act’
Just two per cent of retailers are ready for the new legislation that will outlaw age discrimination, according to a study by the Age Partnership Group.The new legislation will come into force on October 1, 2006 and the main changes likely to affect retailers are around the issue of retirement.A ...
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News
Boozy man attempts pump fire
A man who tried to set fire to a petrol pump with a cigarette lighter has been jailed for three years.Leicester Crown Court heard that Sean Rutherford, aged 30, had drunk 13 litres of cider and six rums before the incident at the Tesco service station, in the city’s Fosse ...
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News
In brief
The Energy Institute’s latest figures confirm that the number of operational forecourts dropped to 9,764 by the end of 2005 - a loss of 587 sites over the year. The UK Retail Marketing Survey 2006 also reveals that petrol sales declined by 2.9% last year. Diesel sales showed strong growth, ...
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NewsDrought threat to car wash business
The impending drought could spell a difficult summer for sites with car wash facilities. Hose pipe bans are now in force over most of the south east and some water companies have already applied for further restrictions, which could put a halt to what is a valuable profit-driver.An Environment Agency ...
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NewsSims signs off with praise for top indies
Forecourt retailers should club together to extract greater value from their supply deals, urged Graham Sims, BP’s erstwhile UK retail director in a colourful and rousing speech at the inaugural ’Top 50 Indies’ dinner held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Birmingham last month.Describing the 160 or so independents gathered ...
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NewsUnited we stand, says Wilson
A call to all independent retailers to stand together and fight the march of the supermarkets was made by Mark Wilson (pictured) group operations manager at the Fraser Group, in a Forecourt Live! lunchtime session at the IFFE show."We have to draw a line in the sand and come together. ...
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News
Future of Petrol Stations
The Henry Stewart Conference ’The Future of Petrol Stations’ on Friday 31 March will address issues in ensuring survival and profitability for forecourt owners and strategies for cashing in on alternative use site values. The conference will also discuss what is happening in the market by alluding to real world ...