Scottish forecourt sector event is a big hit
FORECOURT operators and exhibitors alike hailed the Petrol Retailers Association (PRA) recent Scottish roadshow as a huge success.
The event included a series of talks providing valuable insights into the latest developments in the sector.
It also gave many of the 25-plus exhibitors the opportunity to grow their businesses north of the border.
They covered a whole host of forecourt solutions from fuel, dispenser, car wash and laundry machine providers to EPOS systems and crime-fighting tech firms, as well as forecourt builders, insurers and car care accessories specialists.
PRA and Car Wash Association executive director Gordon Balmer highlighted to attendees the work the organisations had been carrying out to address the concerns of their members.
This included writing to Chancellor Rachel Reeves about fuel duty and working with the Competition and Markets Authority and Government on road fuel pricing schemes.
There has also been collaboration with the DVLA to create a quicker way to recover money from fuel thieves and continued efforts to crack down on modern slavery in non-compliant hand car washes.
Mark Lavery, of business property specialists Christie & Co, revealed that forecourts were very much in vogue and there were more buyers than sites for sale at present.
He said the store was now the more frequent reason for consumers visiting a forecourt site and that shop margins were higher than those for fuel.
He also urged forecourt operators not to be swayed by scaremongering over the need to adapt their sites for electric cars, saying installing chargers probably wouldn’t drive footfall to their outlets.
Esther Uche, from Henderson Technology, spoke about the ways retailers could future-proof their businesses through advanced solutions.
These included self-service tills, automated cash handling, electronic shelf-edge labels, food-to-go kiosk ordering, digital media screens with marketing messages and the FuelPay app.
She claimed that these features would enhance the consumer experience, increase footfall and save on staff time.
Matt Willocks, from Gulf, highlighted the benefits of signing up to the brand’s Oomph bespoke loyalty platform that allowed retailers to control what and how they reward customers and local charities.
He also explained how its Foresite telemetry system enabled bosses to understand and optimise fuel, car wash and shop sales. Meanwhile, the PricePro app provides insights on fuel pricing that enabled users to grow both margins and volume sales, he said.
Zoe Colman, of DoubleCool, said retro-fitting the firm’s acrylic cooling doors to open chillers would save energy, money and the planet.
Other benefits included the way doors reduced thefts, kept shelves tidier and made shop aisles warmer, as well as enhancing the look of stores.
Liam Arden addressed the issue of tackling shop crime and fuel theft through the Facewatch live facial recognition service and Forecourt Eye’s automatic number plate recognition cameras and database.
He said both systems sent immediate alerts to users if the customers were “subjects of interest” or known for a history of non-payment. He claimed both acted as major deterrents to criminal activities.
