Riding high

Forecourts are investing in technology to futureproof their businesses.

As the market evolves, forecourts are transforming into multi-purpose retail destinations, no longer defined solely by fuel sales, according to The Lumina Intelligence UK Forecourt Market Report 2025.

One group that has made the retail side of its business a priority is our SLR Awards Forecourt Convenience Retailer of the Year, Highland Fuels’ Balfron Filling Station. The store was operated by the previous owner for over 20 years, predominantly as a Ford car dealership, workshop and filling station with a 100sq ft kiosk-style shop.

Having taken over the site in 2022, Highland Fuels embarked on an incredible transformation in December 2024, investing the best part of £2m and opening a brand-new 2,800sq ft Morrisons Daily store at the end of January this year. The store features a comprehensive food-to-go offer with Rollover hot dogs, a Skwishee machine, Pret coffee, Aulds hot and cold baked goods, plus freshly baked Morrisons products.

“What we tried to do with Balfron was to make it a one-stop destination for people,” says Store Manager Duncan McMillan. “It wasn’t a case of coming in for juice and a packet of sweets, you could get a full shop there. We’ve tried to reflect that with range and pricing. With a lot of sites that have the Morrisons logo, they have a set pattern to follow, but with Balfron, they gave me the planograms and then it was about me finding out what the community was really after.”

Duncan set about tailoring the offer to their needs. “We introduced a fresh range of 326 lines of the core Morrisons’ range for what we thought would sell in a shop of that size,” he says. “After talking to the community about what they were looking for, in the first couple of months we opened it up to 570 lines by introducing new shelving and new ranges. There was also high demand for free from, so we introduced a free-from range and it’s done really well. We also have our own Facebook page and use social media to connect with the community.”

Highland Fuels was also careful to ensure that the site fitted in well with its surroundings, featuring an open roof and exposed beams to create a farm shop ambience. But don’t be fooled by its traditional appearance; the whole site is cutting edge. It has just had InPost Lockers installed and boasts high-spec Electrajet jet wash units.

“As a forecourt, technology is important,” says Duncan. “We’ve got a fancy, high-tech car wash, which has all sorts of settings they’ve never seen before in this area. You can spend £2 and give your car a quick spray, or you can spend up to £16 and there’s a ceramic wax coating and reverse-osmosis streak-free rinse system. I was a wee bit apprehensive as to whether it would work in the local area – would it be too complicated or not accepted pricing wise – but it was really welcomed, and staff are trained to help if anyone has problems.”

Highland Fuels is reaping the benefits of investing in both the retail and fuel sides of the business. “When we opened the site, it was running at £24-26,000 a week,” says Duncan. “Then we added the fuel in May, and it ran at £33-37,000. In terms of fuel, the last site used to do a maximum of 20,000 litres a week. We do an average of 30-35,000 litres a week. Our weekly sales, including petrol, are anything from £80-90,000 a week, so it brings in a lot of money.”

EPoS efficiencies

Investing in technology is also helping to make forecourt stores run more efficiently. Over in County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, Spar Maheramason was eager to streamline its core retail functions – including fuel cards, PayPoint, and till operations – into a single integrated platform. The hope was that this would in turn improve transaction speed, enhance stock control and price management, and resolve long-standing issues with poor technical support from their previous provider.

The company turned to Henderson Technology’s EDGEPoS system, which uses training videos and responsive local support, to help staff get to grips with the technology as quickly as possible.

Slow card payments are now a thing of the past, which is of huge benefit to the store, which has a high volume of passing traffic. “EDGEPoS has completely transformed how we run the store. Everything is now integrated – fuel cards, PayPoint, tills – which makes life easier for both staff and customers,” says store owner John Allen. “The support from Henderson Technology has been second to none, and we’re already seeing the benefits in faster transactions and better control of the business.”

As is natural with any kind of new technology introduction, a number of staff were a little unsure of the change, but the company reports that even those who were hesitant about switching systems adapted quickly thanks to the straightforward interface and helpful training resources. Day-to-day tasks like processing sales, applying discounts, or handling returns have become easier to manage, while promotions and label updates now follow a clearer structure, making it less time-consuming than before.

The most immediate impact following the installation was a vast improvement in the checkout process, which has meant speedier transactions and far less frustrations caused by queuing.

With the forecourt’s previous EPoS provider, problems often had to be logged with overseas call centres, where language barriers and scripted troubleshooting led to long delays and unresolved problems. In contrast, John and his team have found that support from Henderson Technology has been a game changer, with pump-related issues often resolved within minutes.

The EDGEPoS reduction planner was another winner for Spar Magheramason with reductions scanned directly at the till, allowing the team to track what products are being discounted and how it impacts margins. This added transparency has enabled better stock decisions and more precise margin control, which is an especially important factor for a forecourt site with fast-moving goods.

John adds: “EDGEPoS has just made everything easier – it’s all in one system now. Transactions are faster, the support is brilliant, and we’ve got much better control over things like reporting and wastage. It’s been a really positive change for us.”

Stepping up security

Technology investments are also having an incredible impact on safety and security within forecourts.

Independent fuel and lubricants distributor, Certas Energy, which operates a national network of Gulf forecourts, has put staff safety at the forefront by investing more than £47,000 in almost 100 body-worn cameras for workers at its manned sites.

The kit has proved highly successful in de-escalating tense situations, with almost three-quarters of staff (73%) reporting that customers are less aggressive since the cameras had been in use.

The bodycams were introduced after the firm conducted a staff survey, which raised concerns around antisocial behaviour. A shocking 55% of respondents strongly agreed that a daily portion of their time was spent dealing with abusive behaviour, with the same amount claiming that they encountered one or more instances of physical or verbal threats per week.

The introduction of the devices resulted in a vast improvement, with employees unanimously agreeing that they felt more reassured wearing the devices.

Mark Harrington, Certas Energy Area Manager for the North East, says: “We want our staff to feel safe and be treated with respect. Abuse should not be part of their working day. We’ve found that simply the presence of the cameras – clipped to staff’s polo shirts or jackets – has been a huge deterrent against antisocial behaviour and has gone a long way toward making staff feel safer.

“The cameras have helped my teams feel they aren’t powerless against antisocial behaviour and that there are steps they can safely take to help tackle it.”

The investment in the cameras and associated software was made following a successful three-month trial. The body cameras record in 15-minute intervals and only when switched on by staff when an incident is occurring or about to occur. Since the introduction of the body cameras across Certas’s company-owned estate there has been an immediate drop in safety incidents and a significant boost in staff comfort levels when on shift.

Almost three-quarters (73%) of staff also agreed that the cameras provided them with reassurance of the ability to provide evidence of incidents and allegations.

The body cameras are also helping staff to tackle shoplifting head on. An anonymous staff member who took part in the trial says: “During the period with the body cams, the way people talk and interact with me and my colleagues has improved and customers are more polite. I believe that it also helps to reduce violence against us and makes thieves think twice.”

Gareth Payne, Head of HSE and Engineering at Certas Energy, said: “Introducing body cameras is a huge milestone in our ongoing health and safety journey at Certas. It’s something we invest heavily in for the benefit of our people and customers.

“On a more personal note, to see the difference in our staff, the improvement in their comfort level and confidence is priceless.”