All Retailers articles – Page 15
-
News
Blood, sweat and hopefully no tears
Regular readers of Forecourt Trader will be familiar with the long-running saga of Tollgate Services, a Shell site just off the A2 at Gravesend. They will also therefore be familiar with the determination of its owner, Simon Privett, to defy plans by BP to build a service station and drive-thru ...
-
News
King of the road
Aas the news broke that Rontec was extending its partnership with Morrisons with plans for a further 40 Morrisons Daily convenience stores across its network, I was in the hot seat literally in the back of the car with Rontec’s legendary chairman and chief executive, Gerald Ronson, on one of ...
-
News
Duo with a wealth of retail experience
In 1974 Dermot Dowling had already ignited a passion for petrol retailing when he set up Petrocell Holdings. Forty-two years later and now into his 70s, Dermot no longer handles the day-to-day running of the company but, as chairman, remains an active force within the business. The engine of Petrocell ...
-
NewsGreenergy extends supply deal with Penny Petroleum
Greenergy has signed agreements to supply a further three sites owned by Top 50 Indie Penny Petroleum, taking the number of Penny Petroleum sites supplied by Greenergy to seven. All of these sites are Esso-branded. Two of the sites, at Sadberge on the A66 between Darlington and Stockton-on-Tees and in ...
-
News
Forging ahead
It’s been a busy start to the year for PRA chairman Brian Madderson, as he responds to the many media requests that follow any news relevant to the forecourt retailing sector. In this case, it was the usual flood of calls to appear on national TV and radio to comment ...
-
News
First-class forecourts
Our round-up of the Forecourt Trader of the Year 2016 winners moves on to the Midlands and Northern England midlands: up to 4 mlpa The staff at Blakemore Retail Spar Newark were extremely proud to emerge as winners in what was a very competitive category. Site manager Julie Sharpe, who ...
-
News
Making a splash
For the past few years, car washing has been gradually side-lined by the growth of the forecourt convenience retailing business as well as the competition from hand car wash operators. Much debate has taken place within forecourt businesses nationwide over whether the valuable space taken up by the car wash ...
-
News
Raw talent
Joan and Barry Raw make a very talented brother and sister team. Together they have developed a network of four successful forecourt operations which collectively sell 24 million litres of fuel a year.They complement each other well. Barry does the building. The colourful and engaging entrepreneur who lives abroad ...
-
News
Cashing in on chips
Walk through the main doors of Syston Service Station and you’re faced with a tough choice: turn left into the smart Spar convenience store or right into the ultra modern Mackays fish and chip shop. Luckily for owners James Kemp and Simon Mackay, most customers visit both parts of the ...
-
News
Making a marque
Sunshine, blue skies and country roads there couldn’t be a better build-up to seeing the new Murco branding. Driving round a bend on the A30 in Stour, Dorset, and there it is, standing out in all its freshly-installed, star-spangled glory, attracting the attention of motorists surprised by the colourful ...
-
News
Being served
Rachael Hockmeyer runs a mighty fine petrol station for someone who drives an electric car! Yes, she is teased particularly at Texaco meetings but she is more than comfortable squaring the financial and environmental benefits of her car, with running an excellent forecourt convenience store and workshop ...
-
News
Cheeky chappie
The entrepreneurial spirit is certainly alive and kicking on UK forecourts nationwide, and none more so than in the north east in Darlington to be precise where independent retailer Nick Baker of NJB Services has been working hard launching his own brand of coffee.In the past year he ...
-
News
Fortunes on the Rise
Suci and Aruna Sucindran own and operate Yari Petroleum Ltd, known as Bishops Rise Service Station, a 3.9mlpa modern freehold site situated in Hatfield, Herts. It recently rebranded to Gulf, the first of a number of important steps the couple are taking as they look to the future. Formerly a ...
-
News
All Hans on deck at Ravensthorpe
Ravensthorpe Service Station recently distinguished itself by being recognised as the 500th Gulf-branded forecourt. But it is also making a name for itself in its local town of Dewsbury, having been transformed into a leading edge forecourt and convenience operation following a four-month knock-down-rebuild. Almost as a timely gift for ...
-
News
Redditch rejuvenated
The sale of Brooklyn Motors, Redditch, in 2009 signalled a crossroads in the career of Jackie Braziel. She was the forecourt manager but unfortunately the new owners, Bristol Street Motors, had no plans for a filling station.David Hill, a work colleague and friend for over 25 years, suggested that they ...
-
News
Winning legacy
Winning Forecourt Trader of the Year was amazing," says Jay Gohil, managing director of the Gohil family business, centred in Cosford, Albrighton, Wolverhampton. "It opened a lot of doors for us. The fact we won the award meant people like the Lakeside Group asked us to join. That changed a ...
-
News
Ups and downs
The past year has been a high-profile one for fuel, with volatile petrol and diesel prices often making headlines, including claims in January that average petrol prices might even fall below £1 per litre.From a peak in July last year of 131.6ppl for unleaded petrol and 136.1ppl for diesel, plummeting ...
-
News
Passing the baton
Susie Hawkins always knew she was going to join the family business Top 50 Indie the Simon Smith Group but she joined sooner than she’d intended. "I was never going to go straight into it so I did a Masters then worked in the city first in insurance broking then ...
-
News
Allied for success
In 1988, Peter and Pat Bellini bought a piece of land and set about building a forecourt and shop. Today, Bellini’s of Ilkeston is a flag bearer for small businesses; a multi award- winning site (the couple won Forecourt Trader of the Year in 2004) and the last remaining independently ...
-
News
Making a difference
Slowly but surely, and using a tried and trusted formula, Peregrine Retail is making its mark in the South West of England.Six years after it was formed as a joint venture between Forelle Estates, which wholly owns the business, and a management team headed by John Mason as managing ...