Retail Marketing Survey 2015

Welcome to your new-look Retail Marketing Survey, which aims to reflect the more contemporary design of Petroleum Review launched late last year and facilitate easier analysis of the statistical information listed.

This year’s supplement, cross-referenced with numbers supplied by market analyst Experian Catalist, indicates that the trend for forecourt closures has flattened out, with the total number of forecourts in the UK at the close of 2014 standing at 8,609 sites, broadly in line with the 2013 figure of 8,611.

BP leads the forecourt branding field, topping the listing with 1,163 outlets, closely followed by Shell with 1,019 branded sites and Esso, with 1,012. The next largest is Texaco, with 773 branded forecourts, followed by 508 Gulf-branded service

stations. This latter figure is on par with the largest supermarket brand – Tesco, with 504 outlets; followed by Morrisons (332) and Sainsbury’s (298). The small and unbranded sector, which makes up the balance of the UK network, numbered 786 by year-end.

The supermarket sector holds 44% market share (accounting for just over 43% of total UK fuel sales) with dealer sites holding 32% and company sites the remaining 24%.

Fuel prices fell from an average of 134.88 p/l for petrol in 2013 to 128.18 p/l in 2014, and from 140.74 p/l for diesel to 133.82 p/l. Meanwhile, petrol sales remained fairly stable at 13mn tonnes by year-end (from 12.99mn tonnes at the close of 2013), and diesel sales rose to 15.16mn tonnes (up from 14.09mn tonnes). Total 2014 road fuel sales for the year were 36.64mn tonnes.

Registered UK vehicles once again broke records in 2014, to reach 35.89mn, with each forecourt supplying an average of 4,170 vehicles.

Our lead feature article looks at security of fuel supply in the UK and the need for planning to prevent future supply disruption should the number of operating refineries

continue to fall. We also round up the latest trends and developments in the fuel retail market, where opportunities for independent forecourt retailers in particular appear to have taken a turn for the better.

Lastly, we address the issue of volatile oil prices and outline how the success of fuel retailers can be defined by how quickly they respond to changes in the wholesale price of oil.

Kim Jackson, Editor