Second Forecourt Trader of the Year victory for the West Country family business - the first in 2008
Tout’s Cleeve was the outright winner at last night’s Forecourt Trader of the Year awards ceremony, beating a record number of entries to take top honours at the retail fuel industry’s most prestigious competition.
Hosted by celebrity actor and comedian Stephen Mangan, the awards provided a fantastic showcase for the forecourt sector, acknowledging its vision and dynamism, as retailers continue to evolve and innovate to meet the rapidly changing needs of the demanding customer and the environment.
“Times are extremely challenging, and we know that success is hard fought, as everyone navigates the road ahead - particularly at this time, when the road ahead is subject to so many changes,” said Forecourt Trader editor Merril Boulton.
“Every year we are always amazed by the exceptional drive, ambition, and creativity of fuel retailers and how each year there is a new star pushing the boundaries. This year it’s the Touts – winners with their Nailsea site in 2008 – who have created a unique £6m development featuring a 4,100-sq ft store, Esso forecourt, an 82-capacity lounge/restaurant called The Maple, a 12-capacity hair salon, a 40-seater training facility, and head office – its first concept site for building a destination that contains all the things people want quickly and in-person. It was designed around food art, knowledge and theatre and is bristling with innovation on all fronts. An amazing entry, a stunning development, many congratulations!”
The award was collected by Jonathan Tout (whose parents Lesley and Philip Tout won in 2008) and his wife Zena, who described the development as a labour of love and passion, with the aim of creating a unique and authentic experience for its customers and teams; with the store designed as ‘mostly a supermarket, fairly like a farm shop, little like a discounter and nothing like a corner shop’.
Tout’s Cleeve initially won the award for Best Site in the South West & Wales in the 4mlpa+ regional category, which made it eligible for being considered for the top prize. It also won three Specialist category awards: Best Design & Development; Best Forecourt Innovation and Best Forecourt Loo.
All entries were subject to a rigorous judging process which took the Forecourt Trader team far and wide across the UK, experiencing forecourt service first hand to deliver real integrity. With standards so high, not just the winners but all the finalists were congratulated for their competitive entries.
Other notable winners on the night included Rob Exelby, managing director of Exelby Services, who received the Special Recognition Award, decided by the readers of Forecourt Trader using an online voting system.
Rob was winner of Forecourt Trader of the Year in 2021 with its A19 North operation, and always has his eye out for the next ‘big thing’. Recently the company has completed an extensive sustainability project which will see the A19 site cut its energy usage in half over the course of 2023 as Exelby Services aims to become a carbon neutral operation by 2030 across its five sites. Exelby Services is also partnering with hydrogen refuelling specialist Element 2 to develop two hydrogen refuelling stations.
The Best Oil Company Initiative was won by Gulf with its Oomph+Foresite sales optimisation system; while BP was Highly Commended for its Voice of the Customer Initiative.
The Forecourt Trader awards cover two main categories, including six regional categories – covering all types of forecourt operation, whether it’s a high-volume A-road site serving commuters or a rural site serving the local community. The 14 specialist categories give all staff working in the retail forecourt sector the chance to show off their skills and achievements in the past year.
See below for a list of all the 2023 Forecourt Trader Award winners:
Forecourt Trader Awards 2023 WINNERS
Forecourt Trader of the Year 2023
Tout’s Cleeve – Cleeve, North Somerset
REGIONAL CATEGORIES
London & South East over 4mlpa
Rontec Billingshurst – Billingshurst, West Sussex
London & South East up to 4mlpa
Budgens Frilford – Frilford, Oxfordshire
Midlands over 4mlpa
MFG Barton Mills Service Station – Barton Mills, Suffolk
Midlands up to 4mlpa
Welcome Break Newark Services – Balderton, Nottinghamshire
Northern England over 4mlpa
Winsford Gateway Service Station – Winsford, Cheshire
Northern England up to 4mlpa
Prospect Service Station – Ossett, West Yorkshire
Northern Ireland over 4mlpa
McCullagh’s Classic Service Station – Omagh, Co. Tyrone
Northern Ireland up to 4mlpa
Maxol Eurospar Kinnegar – Holywood, Co. Down
Scotland
Park Forfar – Longlevens, Forfar
West Country & Wales over 4mlpa
Tout’s Cleeve – Cleeve, North Somerset
West Country & Wales up to 4mlpa
Ascona Green Garage Bush Hill – Pembroke, Pembrokeshire
Best Motorway Service Outlet
Shell Cobham Motorway Services – Cobham, Surrey
SPECIALIST CATEGORIES
Best Alternative Fuels
MFG Barton Mills Service Station – Barton Mills, Suffolk
Best Car Care & Lubricants Outlet
Park Thieves Lane – Shrewsbury, Shropshire
Best Coffee & Hot Beverages Outlet
Rontec Magor – Caldicot, Monmouthshire
Best Community Engagement
P&G Eurospar – Potadown, Co. Armagh
Best Customer Service
Daly’s Service Station – Dungannon, Co. Tyrone
Best Design and Development
Tout’s Cleeve – Cleeve, North Somerset
Best Food-To-Go Outlet
Spar Mallusk – Newtownabbey, Co. Antrim
Best Forecourt Innovation
Tout’s Cleeve – Cleeve, Somerset
Best Forecourt Loo
Tout’s Cleeve – Cleeve, Somerset
Best Forecourt Team
Doagh Eurospar – Doagh, Co. Antrim
Best Site Manager
Danielle Hamilton from Maxol Eurospar Kinnegar, Co. Down
Best Soft Drinks Outlet
Lynch’s Eurospar Greysteel – Greysteel, Londonderry
Best Sustainability Strategy
Maxol Eurospar Kinnegar – Holywood, Co. Down
Best Valeting Facilities
Budgens Frilford – Frilford, Oxfordshire
Best Oil Company Initiative
Highly Commended
BP - The Voice of the Customer Initiative
Winner
Gulf - OOMPH + Foresite
