It was a long and difficult summer for many forecourt operators but there’s plenty of activity to help rejuvenate the sector, even with further Covid restrictions in place.
This year has proven particularly difficult for many forecourt operators with fuel volumes well down for many and there are still plenty of challenges ahead – but there’s plenty for retailers to get excited about and look forward to as they set out to regain some semblance of normality.
One major piece of recent news is that the government has announced another £49m in funding to support the automotive industry’s transition to low-carbon technologies. Some 31 projects are receiving a portion of £10m from the government’s Automotive Transformation Fund, to support development of low carbon emission technologies for vehicles with one project in particular, Thurso+, aiming to upscale a battery cell production facility in the town.
The move will help accelerate the shift towards electric vehicles and offers more opportunity to retailers keen to service the growing number of customers using electric and hybrid vehicles.
Meanwhile, the JET fuel brand has been keeping forecourts front of mind with its first TV ad for over 20 years. The campaign captures how JET champions the driver – providing all the essentials they need to ‘Keep On Moving’. The TV spot is part of JET’s ongoing brand awareness programme designed to increase visibility and consideration amongst new and existing customers.
A fresh take on a classic road movie theme, the campaign captures the journey through the eyes of the driver and features a man at a grand piano travelling through dramatic countryside before stopping at a JET forecourt to refuel before hitting the road again.
“We are continuing to invest in our brand and the growing retail business to be the best we can be for our drivers, our dealers and the local communities we serve” says Mary Wolf, MD for UK Marketing at Phillips 66. “In fine tuning the JET brand our aim is to improve the experience for our customers and to give the drivers who visit our forecourts everything they need and want to continue their journeys quickly and safely. It is a simple, straightforward ‘driver-first’ ethos that is perfectly captured in this new campaign.”
Fuel supplier Certas Energy has also been working hard with the launch of Certas Energy Dealer Rewards, an online resource that offers free access to personal wellbeing tools, learning courses and discounts from leading brands.
The scheme provides tailored programmes that can help forecourt retailers and their employees to improve their personal wellbeing and navigate these challenging times. The platform’s online learning resources offer hundreds of courses to support professional growth, with categories including Business & Management, Health & Psychology, Technology and many more.
Certas Energy Dealer Rewards is available to all Gulf and Pace dealer employees at no additional cost.
Richard Billington, Retail Director at Certas Energy, commented: “Our team is working non-stop to find creative solutions to support our dealers and their workforce throughout and beyond this national emergency. What’s been difficult for many people is finding new ways to spend the additional hours we’re all at home – whether it’s business as usual or not. That’s why I’m delighted to launch Certas Energy Dealer Rewards to help our retail network and their teams get the best from this extra time at home.
“With its wide range of learning and wellbeing tools, we hope our colleagues will find the platform to be a useful resource for personal and professional development as we prepare for the time when we can all return to normality.”
