All Forecourt Trader articles in March 2011
View all stories from this issue.
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News
Symonds just keeps on growing
Symonds Forecourts has opened its fifth Londis store. Located on a forecourt in Gloucester, it is one of seven forecourt sites owned and operated by the West Country company. The firm is also about to open its third Budgens store – on a forecourt in Wells.A Captain Jack Sparrow lookalike ...
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Two become one at Spar
West Midlands-based AF Blakemore & Son has acquired the business of fellow Spar wholesaler South Wales-based Capper & Co.The acquisition will take the turnover of the combined organisation to £1.1bn. The move will create the largest Spar wholesaler in the UK, serving 1,096 of the symbol group’s stores.Meanwhile, the successor ...
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Chancellor’s fuel duty cut backfires
Chancellor George Osborne’s decision to cut fuel duty by 1ppl from 6pm on March 23 has enraged retailers as motorists branded them “greedy” when prices at the pump failed to fall immediately as they had expected.While the duty cut was welcome, its immediate introduction and the lack of explanation that ...
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MRH adds 10 BP sites
The leading Top 50 indie MRH has purchased 10 former BP company-owned sites in Scotland. The company is also renewing supply contracts with BP at a further 11 locations as part of the deal.MRH managing director John Lynn said: “ This acquisition package further strengthens MRH’s representation in Scotland, our ...
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Chancellor cuts fuel duty and axes escalator
Chancellor George Osborne has thrown retailers and motorists a lifeline by announcing a 1ppl cut in fuel duty from 6pm on March 23 and announced an end to the fuel duty escalator. The fuel duty escalator, which would have added 5ppl at the pump this month, will be replaced by ...
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Undercover cops tackle drive-offs
Surrey police is using undercover officers in a bid to crack down on drive-offs.Officers are positioned at the BP service station in Green Wrythe Lane, Carshalton and at other targeted forecourts in the borough – either in unmarked police cars or on foot patrol in plain clothes.The operation, which is ...
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New chief executive for Federation of Petroleum Suppliers
The Federation of Petroleum Suppliers (FPS) has announced the appointment of a new chief executive.Joining the FPS from his previous role as Executive Secretary at the Nuclear Institute, Mark Askew succeeds Susan Hancock who will retire in the summer.For the past five years Askew has run the Nuclear Institute’s secretariat, ...
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BP to sell new Nintendo 3DS
Gaming fans can beat the rush and be the first to get their hands on the new Nintendo 3DS console and games by visiting their local BP forecourt.Customers can buy the new console and games from 99 BP Connect stores from one minute past midnight on Friday March 25, ...
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VAT on fuel up by 5p-a-litre in one year
Soaring pump prices and the 2.5% increase in VAT on January 4 have added almost 5p a litre to the government’s tax-take from VAT on petrol over the past year, says the AA. VAT from diesel sales has risen nearly 6p a litre, and VAT on a tank of petrol ...
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Shell on track to boost performance and growth
Shell is aiming to become the most competitive and innovative energy company in the world, according to its latest strategy update, presented by chief executive officer Peter Voser in London today. Voser said the company was on track to deliver its three-year strategic plan – outlined a year ago – and revealed that in this era of “volatile transitions”, Shell was in the throes of an ambitious phase of new growth investment, developing new sources of energy. “We have made good progress in 2010. Our profitability is improving, and we are on track for our growth targets. There is more to come from Shell,” explained Voser. In the first year of delivery against the three-year strategic plan, Shell saw some $10 billion, or 40% improvement in cashflow to $33bn, lower costs, higher oil and gas production, and continued progress with downstream restructuring – with Voser reaffirming continued commitment to the UK market. Voser said cost reduction and operating efficiency were a key part of Shell’s business, to ensure profitability for its shareholders and competitive energy prices for its customers. The company continues to sell non-core positions to enhance capital efficiency, and as part of funding for future investment. Asset sales proceeds have exceeded $30 billion in the past five years, and are expected to be up to $5 billion in 2011. Downstream remains an important business for Shell, generating over $21 billion of free cashflow in the past five years, from a global portfolio. Voser said the company is redoubling its efforts to improve returns in downstream. The bulk of the 2010-12 asset sales programme in Downstream has been completed, with transactions since end-2009 reducing refining capacity by over 700,000 barrels a day, reducing its marketing footprint, and generating $4.7 billion of disposals proceeds, including the recently-announced disposal plans for UK refining and Africa marketing. Voser said programmes to streamline the global downstream organisation were continuing, with more than $2.5 billion of cost taken out in 2009 and 2010, and a new target for a further $1 billion downstream cost reduction for 2011-12 announced.
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Madderson updates Chancellor ahead of Budget
Chairman of RMI Petrol Brian Madderson has written to Chancellor George Osborne highlighting serious issues that must be considered ahead of the Budget. The letter underlined significant evidence of consumer distress including more forecourt crime, 40% increase in breakdowns due to fuel run-outs, increase in cash purchases due to consumers ...
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Evolve provides Total green solution
Total UK has completed an energy reduction scheme across 245 of its company-owned service stations, helping to reduce annual carbon footprint by more than 1,200 tonnes.The project, led by energy management experts Evolve Energy, saw a range of building management systems installed to regulate the amount of power supplied to ...
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Council negotiates savings on fuel
A Cornish council has negotiated with two forecourts to give locals 2ppl off fuel. Saltash residents who have a Saltash Card can get 2ppl off fuel at the BP at Granada Services and the Texaco forecourt on the A38.The Saltash Card, which costs £2, was introduced just over a year ...
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BP names new UK company and franchise retail estate manager
BP has named Catherine Randle as the new manager of its company and franchise retail estate in the UK, replacing Richard Harding.Randle will take over the post, running around 350 BP branded stores, at the start of April. Her appointment follows Harding’s move to Turkey to run BP’s Fuels Value ...
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Biofuel backlash in Germany
Germany’s Ministry of Economy is continuing with the introduction of E10 despite a backlash from drivers. The Ministry held an emergency petrol summit earlier this month to discuss problems surrounding the sale of E10.E10 went on sale in Germany in February but many drivers have been avoiding it because they ...
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Petrol hits £6 a gallon
Soaring oil costs have pushed the UK’s average price of petrol above 132ppl – £6 a gallon – for the first time ever. Figures from Experian Catalist put yesterday’s average price of unleaded at 132.30ppl and diesel at 138.20ppl. And the cost of petrol has risen 7.11ppl a litre since ...
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Government sounds death knell for tobacco displays
Forecourt stores will be banned from displaying tobacco products from April 6, 2015, the government has announced today. The amended regulations, as set out in the Department of Health’s Tobacco Control Plan, will mean that tobacco products will need to be out of sight in shops, except for temporary displays ...
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Chancellor gives more hope for duty axe
A fuel duty cut is looking more likely in this month’s Budget as Chancellor George Osborne promised to help the motorist. Speaking at the Conservative Spring conference in Cardiff over the weekend Osborne said: “When it costs £1.30 for a litre of petrol; £80 to fill up a family car; ...
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Madderson urges fuel duty campaign support as The Sun gathers 150,000 signatures
A gathering of the nation’s biggest independent petrol retailers were urged to support RMI Petrol’s campaign to cut fuel duty, by the association’s chairman Brian Madderson. In his rousing and amusing pre-dinner speech at the prestigious annual Top 50 Indies dinner, which took place during IFFE at the NEC, Birmingham, ...
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Smirnoff’s small size
Diageo has launched a new 10cl size of its Smirnoff vodka into the convenience sector. This complements its existing 20cl, 35cl, 50cl, 70cl and 1ltr range.