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- How many forecourt sites are there in the UK?
- Who owns and operates forecourt stores?
- Who are the forecourt retailers?
- How much is the forecourt convenience segment worth?
How many forecourt sites are there in the UK?
At the end of April 2010 there were approximately 9,013 forecourt sites in the UK
Forecourt site numbers. Source: Catalist/Energy Institute
Of these 9,013 forecourt sites, 8,463 feature a dedicated convenience store.
Who owns and operates forecourt stores?
The ownership and branding of forecourt stores is complex but broadly speaking fall into three areas
- Dealer-owned, Dealer Operated (DODO) - The forecourt is owned by an independent business, acting as a distributor for an oil company, which supplies fuel and-usually- a branding package.
- Company-Owned, Dealer-Operated (CODO) - The forecourt is owned by an oilco which also supplies the fuel but the site and store are operated by an independent business.
- Company Owned Company Operated (COCO) – The forecourt is owned by an oil company and operated by its employees according to instructions from Head Office, as with any other multiple retail business.
- Company Owned Group Operated (COGOP) - This is a similar model to CODO, with the key difference being that a group of stores are run by another independent company (rather than an independent dealer).
Who are the forecourt retailers?
Forecourt retailers and the number of stores they own are listed in the table below:
| Supermarket & Oil Company Owned and Operated |
| Asda |
179 |
| BP |
351 |
| Esso |
529 |
| M&S Simply Food |
125 |
| Maxol |
31 |
| Morrisons |
292 |
| Murco |
172 |
| Sainsbury’s |
254 |
| Shell |
582 |
| Tesco |
450 |
The Co-operative Group
- The Co-operative
- Somerfield |
67
141 |
| Waitrose |
14 |
| Total |
505 |
| Independent Forecourt Dealers |
| Aleef Garages |
24 |
| Alfred Jones |
19 |
| Brobot |
21 |
| Brookfield Group |
14 |
| Calanike |
14 |
| Carsley Group |
11 |
| Cornwall Garage Group |
16 |
| Euro Garages |
67 |
| Hills Incorporated |
13 |
| HKS Retail |
23 |
| Kay Group |
10 |
| Motor Fuel Group |
50 |
| MPK Group |
10 |
| MRH (GB) Ltd |
288 |
| Park Garage Group |
90 |
| Penny Petroleum |
12 |
| Petrogas UK |
12 |
| Roadside Group |
10 |
| Serwell Retail |
12 |
| Snax 24 |
43 |
| Spring Petroleum |
18 |
| Valli Forecourts |
13 |
| WJ King |
13 |
| Others |
4,650 |
Source: IGD Research, June 2010
The number of forecourt convenience stores trading in the UK has been in decline for some time now, with store numbers down once again in the latest 12 month period tracked by IGD (2.1% in total).
Supermarket groups continue to target the forecourt segment. Attached forecourt stores (stores attached to a larger site) have grown in number by 2.3% in the latest year, with the number of standalone sites operated by the leading major multiple operators increasing by 7.7%. Symbol group operators also continued their pursuit of the forecourt sector as they sought to capitalise on new opportunities away from high street and neighbourhood locations.
In addition, there are now over 2,200 oil company multiple sites in operation e.g. Esso On The Run, Shell Select. While this number is slightly up on the same figure for 2009, this was largely attributable to the number of new store openings added by Murco.
The sharp rate of decline in the number of independent forecourt stores was, however, the key driver behind the fall in forecourt store numbers in the latest year.
Today, approximately 94% of all forecourt stores are now classed as convenience stores.
How much is the forecourt convenience segment worth?
At the end of April 2010 there were 8,463 forecourt convenience stores in the UK, generating sales of £4.2 billion over the 12 month period.
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