== Best oil company initiative - winner ==
With many company-owned sites being located in residential areas, the aim of Total’s award-winning Little Learners initiative was to deliver a marketing campaign that had community value, at the same time as increasing awareness of the brand.
The road safety campaign - which is still ongoing - focuses on cutting the number of children under six killed or injured in road traffic accidents. It targets reception class teachers at schools within a three-mile radius of a Total site, inviting them to apply for a creative classroom pack, supported by an interactive website.
Jamie Brodie, marketing assistant at Total UK, says: "By the end of 2006, we had well over 2,000 schools actively using our classroom packs and our website had received more than 10,000 hits. Total customers, as well as schools, will see further safety initiatives in 2007."
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=== Best Rural: Independent with 9 sites or less ===
As the only shop in the Norfolk village of Roughton, and the only major petrol station for some five miles, this Jet-branded site enjoys limited competition compared to some forecourts, but owner Allan Davison is far from complacent. In fact, he strives to ensure the site offers the community - which has a lot of elderly residents - as many services as possible, including a fully-stocked Spar c-store, Post Office, ATM, Payzone for electricity and gas payments, lottery, DVD and video rental and LPG.
Also the winner of our Best Customer Service award, the site has scored 100% for ’excellent standards’ in a Jet mystery shopper visit. Allan says: "The staff take pride in their service and complement this with a friendly approach and thoughtful extras to help our customers."
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=== Best oil company initiative - Highly commended ===
Maxol’s bio-ethanol (E85) fuel initiative earned the Irish oil company a highly-commended award in this category for the second year running.
Aiming to bring new fuel solutions to its network of sites across the Republic and Northern Ireland, Maxol worked closely with Ford Ireland on this initiative. It culminated in the high-profile opening of the country’s first bio-ethanol fuel pump in Dublin in September 2005, coinciding with the launch of the Ford Focus Flexi-Fuel Vehicle. Made in Cork from whey, a milk derivative, the fuel is said to reduce CO2 emissions by 70% compared to petrol.
It has since been rolled out to a further 12 sites in the Maxol network, following a strategy of targeting fleet car operators.
Noel McMullan, director of the Maxol Group, said the initiative was very much a team effort.
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=== Best Motorway site ===
RoadChef’s forecourt on the M6 toll road at Norton Canes opened in December 2003 but has already been a previous winner in this category. Branded BP Connect, the super-busy, modern site pumps 390,000 litres of fuel a week and has around 10,000 visitors. Forecourt manager Susan Granger has worked for RoadChef for three years, following a 10-year stint with BP, and believes the site operates to the highest standards in the areas travelling customers value most - clean toilets, helpful staff and a popular café, which offers both indoor and outdoor seating.
Susan says: "I think it was a brilliant achievement for the site to win this award, especially for a second time. The team were a bit surprised to win again so soon, but they deserved it."
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