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OtherMONEY TALK: Accounting for theft and making the figures stack up
Shoplifting is said to cost the retail industry £1.8 billion a year. But how has that figure come about in an era when many retailers have consigned the practice of stocktaking to history, and any value given therefore for retail theft being little more than a guess, argues industry commentator Jan Mikula.
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OtherUNDER THE SPOTLIGHT: 20 Questions for independent forecourt operator Goran Raven
Fitness fanatic and forecourt operator Goran Raven likes to multi-task. He fondly remembers agreeing a Shell fuel deal with the late Steve Hamer while out training on their bikes for his next triathlon. But Goran’s favourite thing is a walk in Scotland’s Cairngorms with his family and dogs.
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OtherUNDER THE SPOTLIGHT: 20 Questions for BP’s Natalie Cattermole
Natalie Cattermole might choose a teapot as the possession she could not do without. But don’t let that make you think that she leads a sedentary lifestyle. She describes herself as “high energy” and she loves having a swim in the sea, or avoiding sea snakes while scuba diving in Borneo.
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OtherPenny wise: What motivates one of the UK’s most successful forecourt retailers?
Penny Petroleum, founded and run by David Penny, has been around for 30 years this July. But what motivates the man behind the brand which has grown from a single site petrol station in Northumberland to a business that spans several sectors and turns over almost £400 million.
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OtherSERVICE CENTRE: Ending on a good rant
Troubleshooter Jac Roper grapples with PayPoint cutting its Collect+ parcel commission, and SSE gas card supply issues, in what is her last contribution to Forecourt Trader.
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OtherMONEY TALK: When ‘no cash’ means ‘no sale’
There is no going back on the move to a cashless society, making forecourt operators vulnerable to IT outages as we saw last month. But, says industry pundit Jan Mikula, petrol garages can protect themselves by delaying software updates and waiting for possible wider fall-out.
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OtherPIT STOP: Londis Nesscliffe Service Station
Our mystery motorist on a mission visits Londis Nesscliffe, Nesscliffe in Shropshire
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OtherUNDER THE SPOTLIGHT: 20 Questions for Stuart Riding from Harvest Energy
Stuart Riding prides himself on never having lost a dealer site since he joined Harvest Energy in January 2023. Maybe it is because he is always accessible with his phone “glued” to his hand, perhaps it is a result of being mentored by MFG’s Jim Mulheran, or could the reason be that he is an aspiring sumo wrestler!
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OtherCOMMENT: How Labour can supercharge the transition to electric vehicles
Reinstating plans for a 2030 ban on sales of new petrol and diesel cars is not the only target the Labour government should commit to in driving forward electric vehicle adoption, argues Asif Ghafoor.
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OtherPIT STOP: EG On The Move Saddle Inn Services, Preston
Our mystery shopper, on a mission to find lunch, visited one of Zuber Issa’s EG On The Move’s newest two sites, a knockdown rebuild on land occupied by a former pub, on a busy roundabout on a recently opened stretch of Preston’s Western Distributor road, Edith Rigby Way.
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OtherUNDER THE SPOTLIGHT: 20 Questions for Wayne Harrand from MPK Garages
Wayne Harrand says that working with his team, who have helped navigate MPK Garages through a period of transition, is the most rewarding part of his job. But they had better not copy him into too many emails, and he might be tempted away if he was offered the top role at Lego!
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OtherSERVICE CENTRE: PayPoint finally gets the point
In this month’s instalment of Service Centre I contact PayPoint for a Northern Ireland forecourt needing SSE gas cards, and come across a garage in Kirby being threatened with a customer boycott if it continued selling The Sun.
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OtherRETAILER PROFILE: The Frasers prepare for future without petrol
Cousins Nick and Jonathan Fraser are investing in their forecourt shops and valeting, and are on the look out for ‘dry’ locations, as well as acquiring neighbouring land to expand exisiting sites. This is their medium-term plan to futureproof their third generation family business, celebrating its 70th anniversary this September.
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OtherJet celebrates platinum year with Wheel Spins
British fuel brand Jet is celebrating its 70th anniversary with a series of platinum-themed marketing activities – and the launch of a retro logo to mark the occasion.
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OtherPIT STOP: MFG Country, Warmington, Northamptonshire/Cambridgeshire border
Our mystery shopper on a mission visits one of MFG’s latest sites, which opened this spring, off the A605 between Peterborough and Oundle. It is the group’s first knock-down rebuild this year.
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OtherCOMMENT: Why Sewell on the go was named one of the Sunday Times’ Best Places to Work for 2024
From giving staff bonuses and cost of living payments, to free flu jabs and five volunteering days, Patrick Sewell, managing director of Top 50 Indie Sewell on the go, gives some insights into why his business was recognised this year by the Sunday Times as one of the UK’s Best Places to Work.
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OtherRETAILER PROFILE: Highland’s game to become big player in forecourts
Tom Highland is expecting to exchange on a forecourt this week which will bring his family’s East of England chain to four, and closer to his ambition of running 10 sites within eight years, by the time he is aged 40.
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OtherEDITOR’S COMMENT: Let’s change the ‘ripping-off motorists’ narrative
Much of the media reacted predictably yesterday to the RAC’s latest claim – in a letter to Energy Secretary Claire Coutinho – that forecourts are ripping off motorists.
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OtherUNDER THE SPOTLIGHT: 20 questions for Joseph Richardson from Jos Richardson & Son
As the managing director of a 132-year-old famiy business, it is Joseph Richardson’s priority to make Jos Richardson & Sons relevant for the next generation.
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OtherAWARDS: Final day to send in your entries
Today is the last chance for you to send in your entries to be considered as a contender for this year’s Forecourt Trader Awards, the industry’s most prestigious accolades.