Retail Marketing Survey 2013

This year’s Retail Marketing Survey, cross-referenced with numbers supplied by market analyst Experian Catalist, indicates that the number of forecourts in the UK at the close of 2012 stood at 8,693 sites.

The oil company branded fuel retailers are the largest grouping in the UK forecourt sector, with 5,159 outlets selling under the seven main UK brands (see p2). The main retailer sector comprises 11 companies or groups, operating a total of 1,233 sites (see p4). GB Oils supplies the three largest brandings in this grouping (362 outlets branded Scottish Fuels, Power, UK, Proteus/’Other’; 344 branded Gulf and 118 under the Pace brand), with Harvest Energy fourth in the line-up, supplying 101 sites under its own name brand and 20 sites under the

Applegreen/Petrogas branding.Meanwhile, the supermarkets have continued to hold a significant chunk of the network, with 1,317 outlets in total, led by Tesco with 475 sites. The 10 companies thatmake up the other retailers category (those with 12 or less sites) maintained their market share, with 62 sites at the close of 2012 (see p6). The small and unbranded sector, which makes up the balance of the UK network, numbered 922 by year-end.

Fuel prices continued their inexorable rise in 2012, rising from an average of 137.7 p/l for petrol in 2011 to 140.44 p/l in 2012, and from 138.90 p/l for diesel to 142.39 p/l (see p12; see also article on p18). Meanwhile, petrol sales fell marginally to 13.42 mn tonnes by year-end; while diesel sales dropped slightly to 13.86mn tonnes (see p14). Total 2012 road fuel sales for the year were 35.35mn tonnes. Registered UK vehicles once again broke records in 2012, to reach 36.71mn, with each forecourt supplying an average of 3,993 vehicles.