All Forecourt Trader articles in October 2008
View all stories from this issue.
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News
Murco buys Petrol Express
Murco Petroleum has confirmed the £51.66 million acquisition of Petrol Express Limited from its parent company GNE Group plc. Earlier this year GNE Group reported a full-year profits jump by 93% to just over £1 million after margins in both shops and fuel improved. GNE chairman David Port, said margins ...
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GreatGas expands in Ireland
GreatGas Petroleum has added four forecourts to its network in Ireland. The contracts, said to be worth in excess of 10 million euros, mean the Irish owned independent fuel supplier has signed 10 new forecourts in the past six months.It now provides fuel to more than 50 forecourts in ...
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ACS slams government ombudsman delays
The Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) has called on the government to take the lead and instate a Grocery Ombudsman, as recommended by the Competition Commission’s investigation into the Grocery Market.ACS chief executive James Lowman said: “We are seeking support from across the political spectrum in an effort to combat ...
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BP profits surge to $8.9 billion
BP is making good progress in its drive to improve performance, chief executive Tony Hayward said today as the company announced underlying profits for the third quarter of 2008 of $8.9 billion, excluding non-operating items and fair value accounting effects.Despite some operational upsets, including hurricane damage in the Gulf ...
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OFT summoned to investigate Orkney fuel prices
THE issue of wholesale fuel prices in Orkney is to be taken to the Office of Fair Trading, according to a story in the island’s local newspaper Orkney Today. The report said the situation had beenhighlighted after a fuel supplier in Caithness was able to supply petrol stations in Orkney ...
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Brown’s call for fuel price cuts simplistic, says FPS
Gordon Brown’s call for forecourts to cut fuel prices at the pumps in line with the fall in the price of crude oil or risk an Office of Fair Trading investigation is too simplistic according to the Forecourt Division of the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers (FPS). It fails to do ...
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Government to delay biofuel targets
The Transport Minister Andrew Adonis has announced plans to revise the government’s biofuels targets while ploughing more money into research in the area.Last week Adonis said the rate of increase in the use of biofuels should be slowed to 0.5% a year, and that the level for the Renewable ...
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Asda goes head to head with Morrisons as fuel prices tumble
Asda has followed Morrisons’ lead by slashing its fuel prices again. Today Asda announced that, starting tomorrow morning, all its 172 forecourts in the UK would sell petrol at 97.9p per litre and diesel at 109.9p per litre.The move means Asda will match rival Morrisons at the pumps in what ...
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News
Shaken not stirred
Coca-Cola Enterprises is to be an official partner of the new James Bond film, Quantum of Solace.The company says the marketing campaign will be the biggest activation to date for the £58m brand, including an on-pack promotion offering the chance to win a downloadable Quantum of Solace demo game four ...
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Power of pulling together
Aside from all the crashing and banging going on in the financial markets around the world, this has been a pretty significant month for UK petrol retailers too. By all accounts they have discovered their power as a collective force. Never before have so many retailers been galvanised into pulling ...
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WashTec’s wider offer
WashTec used this year’s Automechanika trade show in Frankfurt to showcase its latest car wash technology.The company says its new SoftCare2 Pro now comes with the widest drive-in track on the market, at 2.05m, to accommodate today’s wider cars. It also has additional height up to 2.90m while the outer ...
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New sandwich range
Heinz has launched a pre-packed sandwich range featuring its classic range of sauces such as Tomato Ketchup and Ploughman’s Pickle.With 19 varieties, the new Heinz Sandwich range includes baps, sandwiches, sub rolls and wraps, and the company says it will provide a "significant brand offering in the £3.1 billion chilled ...
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News
Results of this month’s online poll:
With fuel volumes down, Arval cards under threat, and question marks over tobacco and alcohol, how concerned are you about the health of your business over the next 12 months?Very61%Fairly26%NOt at all13%The majority of you are concerned about the future - let’s hope there’s some good news soon!
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Hovis uses its loaf
Hovis has introduced a new 122 second advert celebrating its 122 years in business.Filmed in Liverpool, it captures the highs and lows experienced by people in Britain during that time, including the suffragette movement, both World Wars, the miners’ strike and England winning the World Cup.It ends with the message: ...
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Zurich’s tax guide
Zurich has published a tax guide for small business owners. Its 2008/9 Tax Handbook includes advice on how to finance a business effectively as well as guidance on Capital Gains tax, deducting tax at source and an outline of VAT.Zurich says it is aimed at professionals working in the ...
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Goodfella’s major rebrand
Goodfella’s has added new flavours to its existing ranges as part of a major re-brand.Northern Foods says the new brand identity and packaging redesign is its biggest change for five years and will be supported by a £2.5m marketing campaign.New products ...
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Getting in a spin
Unilever is launching an on-pack promotion for Pot Noodle to give away a thousand spinning forks.Pot Noodle sales controller Mike Miller says: "The spinning fork promotion offers fun-loving consumers the ultimate in convenient snacking - as they won’t even need to twist their fork!"This hilarious instant win promotion is designed ...
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Get your fingers out
Nestlé says retailers looking to increase confectionery sales should ensure they stock top-performing brands consumers know and love - like Kit Kat.Sales of the countline continue to grow ahead of the total confectionery category - up 17% (Nielsen sales value total market YTD September 6). As such it is the ...
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A level playing field
"Once someone washes their vehicle in a proper car wash they won’t go back to hand washing," insists independent retailer David Charman."More people are paying for their cars to be washed, and it’s up to us to show them where they should be spending their money."David owns the Parkfoot Garage ...