The 2024 ACS Forecourt Report has revealed that the UK’s petrol forecourt retailers invested almost £19,000 on average per store last year, up from less than £12,000 the previous year. The report details insights across the 8,347 forecourt sites in the UK, highlighting evolving trends, customer demands and the critical role forecourts play in the convenience sector.
Highlights from the 2024 Forecourt Report include:
- The UK forecourt sector creates over 89,000 jobs, with 26% of employees having over a decade of service
- Total forecourt sales reached £5 billion last year (excluding fuel)
- 84% of forecourt retailers are actively involved in their communities, supporting local projects, raising funds for charities and donating to food banks
- Forecourts ranked fifth among essential local high-street services, ahead of pubs/bars
- 17% of forecourts offer pay-at-pump services, with 6% providing electronic vehicle (EV) charging points
The report also identified new trends in electric vehicle charging and car sales. Compared to last year, significantly more charging points (59%) are now categorised as ‘slow’ chargers, with battery and charging technology becoming faster than ever before. There are now almost 1.2m fully electric vehicles and around 680,000 plug-in hybrid vehicles registered in the UK.
ACS chief executive James Lowman commended the forecourt sector’s proactive approach: ‘Forecourt retailers have made significant investments in improving their offer to customers over the last year, spending money on future-proofing their stores through new technology and refrigeration, as well as into services like parcel collection points and click and collect for groceries.
‘It’s also encouraging to see that more forecourt retailers are investing time and effort into community engagement. For tens of thousands of people, their main local shop also sells fuel, so being a community hub is just as important for forecourt retailers as it is for their standalone convenience counterparts.’
Peter Batt, Managing Director at Nisa, added: ‘The ACS Forecourt Report rightly shines a light on the ever-growing importance of forecourts to convenience retail. As the conventional fuel-and-go model fades, forecourt retail is transforming to meet the needs of a more dynamic shopper. With larger basket sizes, a broader food-to-go selection, and an improved array of quality food and beverage options, forecourts are increasingly becoming comprehensive shopping destinations in their own right, enhanced by the addition of EV charging points, meaning drivers have more time to spend.
‘So far this year, an additional 100 forecourts are receiving products from Nisa, bringing our forecourt partner estate to over 500 stores. Even in the face of challenges such as fluctuating fuel prices, rising operational costs and evolving consumer expectations, forecourt retailers continue to prove their resilience and popularity with shoppers. Their ability to adapt, innovate and enhance the customer experience has been key to their success.
‘Nisa is proud to work with many exceptional forecourt retailers, and I’m delighted to see them recognised as a significant standalone part of the wider convenience landscape in this report. They are not only adapting to change but are driving the future of convenience retail.’
For more information on how Nisa can help you grow your forecourt business, contact your RDM/Key Account Manager or reach out to the Store Development team today.