All Forecourt Trader articles in May 2018 – Page 4
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Analysis
Merril Boulton: editor
Consolidation continues to be on trend as yet more giants, this time Sainsbury’s and Asda, come together to create a mammoth grocery, general merchandise and clothing retail group with a combined revenue of £51bn. And let’s not forget about the 630 or so service stations they have between them, meaning ...
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News
Bosch technology will reduce diesel emissions
Diesel can resume its success story following a major breakthrough in diesel technology, claimed Bosch CEO Dr Volkmar Denner, at the company’s annual press conference. "There’s a future for diesel," he said. "Today, we want to put a stop once and for all to the debate about the demise of ...
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News
Variety boosts snacks
Go into a high street pub and you may still find the packaged snacks choice confined to a brand each of crisps, nuts and pork scratchings, but in the fast-moving world of grocery and convenience it’s become much more than that. Kantar Worldpanel puts the UK snacks market at £41.6bn ...
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News
New-to-industry sites give Kay Group’s turnover a boost
Development of two new-to-industry (NTI) sites has helped Top 50 Indie Kay Group boost turnover. In its results for the year ended October 31, turnover was up 14% to £96.4m. Pre-tax profit was down, from £4m to £2.6m, but the previous year’s figure was boosted by the sale of a ...
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Analysis
Ray Blake: PRA technical director
How communication and technology have changed and keep changing never ceases to astound me. In the field of fuel dispensing into vehicles we first heard the term ’payment app’ about five or six years ago. For the past couple of years, forums in which I participate have been trying to ...
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News
BP stocks little drinks that offer a big kick
BP Connect forecourts are now carrying Zinger shots described as "little drinks with a big kick". BP is stocking four Zinger varieties: Organic Ginger (27% ginger juice); the Xtra Ginger (40% crushed ginger juice and chilli); Lime & Chilli; and Golden Turmeric which is made with pressed turmeric juice, spiced ...
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News
Drinks with benefits
New Radnor Plus Energy gives you around the same kick as a cup of coffee but with the added advantage of refreshing hydration. Drinks contain natural guarana and ginseng extracts which help restore well-being and when blended together create a natural caffeine kick to support energy levels.Meanwhile, Radnor Plus Protein ...
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News
Beacons for business
The acquisition of MRH by MFG earlier this year could be good news for everyone in the fuel retailing sector, according to Adam Wadlow, partner at fuel and automotive property advisers Barber Wadlow, which has just published its latest Forecourt Property Market Update. "It shows that the independent dealer sector ...
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News
Bathway Service Station sold to BP
Business property adviser Christie & Co has completed the sale of Bathway Service Station near Bath to BP on behalf of Flying Visit. The forecourt is located on a busy roundabout that links the A361 from Trowbridge to Frome and the A36 from Bath to Warminster, with 27,000 vehicles passing ...
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News
Special K cereal bars are now bigger and better
Kellogg’s has overhauled the recipe and packaging of its Special K cereal bars as part of the company’s Better Starts plan to help people make healthier choices. The bars are now bigger (27g) with wholegrain oats, whole fruit pieces and are fortified with vitamins B3, B6 and Folic Acid. The ...
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News
Smaller price-marked sharing bags for indies
As a result of the growing sharing trend, Kettle Foods is relaunching its range of smaller price-marked sharing bags specifically for the independent convenience sector. The new 80g bags are available in the top five selling seasonings: Lightly Salted, Sea Salt & Balsamic Vinegar, Sea Salt with Crushed Black Peppercorns, ...
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News
Sainsbury’s Asda deal
Sainsbury’s and Asda will have more than 600 forecourts between them in their proposed merger.Their combined business will create one of the UK’s leading grocery, general merchandise and clothing retail groups, with combined revenues of £51bn. The aim is to maintain both the Sainsbury’s and Asda brands, and enable them ...
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Analysis
Charlotte Blum: analysis editor, Argus Media
Brent crude futures at this week topped $75/bl for the first time since November 2014, pushed up by tensions in the Middle East that are exacerbating the underlying effects of strong demand and producers’ output restraint. UK drivers are not yet feeling the pressure of the latest $6-7/bl rise as ...
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News
Jos Richardson & Son buys Middleton Service Station
has purchased Middleton Service Station, an Esso fuel station and Londis c-store based in the village of Middleton, near Pickering North Yorkshire.Managing director Joseph Richardson said: "Middleton Service Station is in a great location and has a lot of potential. We plan to start re- development works on the forecourt ...
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News
Protein products power ahead
Arguably the segment seeing the biggest proliferation of NPD is that for nut, seed and fruit-based protein bars from brands such as Grenade, Graze, Bounce and Kind. Liam Mahoney, nutritionist at Grenade, which markets a range of protein bars and drinks, says the healthy eating category was "invariably non-existent" in ...
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NewsACS submits evidence to hand car wash inquiry
The Association of Convenience Stores (AC) has submitted evidence to an inquiry launched by the Environmental Audit Committee into the regulation of hand car washes, calling for better enforcement of existing regulations and the consideration of a licensing scheme. In the submission, ACS encourages the Environmental Audit Committee to consider ...
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News
DRB UK Maintenance celebrates major wins across the forecourt sector
Maintenance to install signage at 80 MFG sites is only the latest in a string of prestigious business wins for the company, according to managing director Robert McArthur. The project involves rebranding of 80 sites to the newly introduced 2Di Esso canopy branding. In addition DRB has recently completed the ...
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NewsCertas Energy buys technology company SNAP Account
Certas Energy has announced the acquisition of a technology provider that allows HGV operators, managers and drivers to carry out cashless transactions. SNAP Account – an end-to-end processing and payment system for HGV fleets – uses licence plate recognition software to offer fleet operators an automated payment solution, removing the ...
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News
Car wash access control system is winner for Touts
Installing the latest car wash access control system from PSD Codax has paid dividends for former Forecourt Trader of the Year, Touts Ltd, according to the company’s operations manager Darren Hamilton. He revealed that following a significant upgrade to the washing equipment at its Nailsea site last year which included ...
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NewsFormer Top 50 Indies sites set to reopen under new operator
Four sites that were operated by Top 50 Indie Javid Iqbal, and closed down suddenly earlier this month, are set to reopen under new ownership. The four Essar-branded sites were all in Stoke-on-Trent and closed without notice, amid reports the freeholder had terminated the leases, fenced them off and begun ...