July 2009 - The Co-operative Group has announced plans for a £1 million showpiece store and service station in Llanelwedd, Builth Wells which will bring a new era in convenience food shopping to the area. The consumer-owned retailer acquired the North Road Garage last year and work has begun to build a new service station and convenience store, which the group hopes will open in early autumn. The 2,500 sq ft food store will feature The Co-operative Group’s new brand identity. The Co-operative aims to highlight improved service standards across its 4,900 outlets in the UK, including its travel, pharmacy, funerals and bank branches, as well as its commitment to supporting local communities and ethical trading policies. The new store and petrol station will provide a spacious shopping environment and a comprehensive range to meet all the food shopping needs of the community. It will also feature three petrol pump islands and a jet wash plus more than 20 car parking spaces. Regional manager Mark Roberts said: “The acquisition represents a significant investment in the area for The Co-operative and endorses our commitment to serving customers with the best in modern retailing. “The new store and petrol station will provide a one-stop shop for the local community.
UK, Greggs moves onto petrol forecourts in UK Bakery chain Greggs revealed its first move onto the petrol forecourt as it continues to target locations away from the high street The deal with Euro Garages, which has 76 forecourts across the UK, has seen the first Greggs store open at the firm´s newly developed site in Bury, Lancashire, with others set to follow. The opening follows Greggs´ recent expansion into industrial
estates and retail parks in a drive to take the brand to where customers are. Euro Garages, which was formed eight years ago by brothers Mohsin and Zuber Issa with a single petrol station, is the UK´s fastest growing forecourt operator and the second largest independent in the sector. It sells about 300 million litres of fuel each year and has a turnover of £260 million. Euro Garages has grown by acquiring and redeveloping rundown petrol stations, partnering with brands such as Spar to offer convenience retail stores and Subway to provide franchised fast food outlets on the same sites. Mike Kavanagh, retail development manager at Greggs, said there was room for significant growth in the petrol forecourt retail sector. He added: "If this move is as successful as we anticipate, we plan to extend the model to other regions."
UK, Anti-forecourt crime scheme launched in South West Glasgow People who drive off from petrol stations without paying are being targeted by the Forecourt Watch scheme, which has now been launched in Glasgow. Strathclyde Police has joined forces with The British Oil Security Syndicate (BOSS) and independent retailers to introduce Forecourt Watch in the Glasgow South West area. The scheme is designed to create a closer link between police, BOSS and retail staff to increase awareness, prevention and the reporting and recording of incidents. The Strathclyde Forecourt Watch scheme, being rolled out to 14 key stations in the district, is the latest addition to the 70 schemes already operating throughout the UK. Marking the launch of the scheme, Superintendent Kevin Duffy said: “During the first five months of 2009 there were 100 reported thefts of petrol from the 14 filling stations across the Glasgow South West area. This number of crimes impacts
greatly on police resources and also impacts heavily on the finances of the garages affected. Forecourt Watch will bring together the filling stations, helping them alongside the police and BOSS to try and reduce this type of crime.” Research also shows that offences of driving off without paying for fuel are often linked to offenders or vehicles involved in other types of crime and to disqualified drivers, those without insurance, tax or MOT, or vehicles with false number plates. BOSS Forecourt Watch documentation for the recording and notifying of ‘drive-offs’ and ‘no means of payment’ incidents will be provided to staff at all forecourts taking part in the scheme. This enables petrol service stations to work in conjunction with police and BOSS to help bring offenders to justice. High visibility stickers and posters on the forecourt itself are designed to raise awareness among customers and potential thieves that Forecourt Watch is in operation and making off without payment is a criminal offence.
Information sharing with the police Service stations registered with the scheme also benefit from sharing information with police and each other on suspects, vehicles and known offenders – to maximise disruption and detection of offences. Jim Anderson, the BOSS regional co-ordinator, commented: “This is another important building block in what we hope will be a network of Forecourt Watches covering the Glasgow Area. BOSS appreciates the cooperation of Strathclyde Police in another partnership initiative to drive down forecourt crime.”
UK, Leicester. Two hurt after car crash at petrol station Firefighters clear up at the Shell petrol station in Coventry Road after the car smashed into the wall of the shop. An elderly woman had to be airlifted to hospital and a man was injured after their car crashed into a
APEA tel/fax 0845 603 5507 www.apea.org.uk
15
NEWS
UK, Co-op set to open new service station & C-store
