News and Trends

  Our latest Lumina Intelligence Forecourt Report 2026 reveals how the UK forecourt channel is evolving in response to rising pressure on operators, changing shopper missions and the growing need to deliver more than fuel alone.   Key insights: Food to go is the engine of forecourt growth Quality hot food, coffee and well known branded concessions are driving incremental footfall and impulse spend. Food to go is reshaping the role of the forecourt, elevating it from a distress stop into a destination for everyday consumption. Planned top ups are delivering bigger, family led baskets Planned top up missions are rising rapidly, driven by families seeking fresh, chilled and locally sourced products. These missions generate significantly larger basket sizes and highlight the opportunity for operators to convert fuel stops into meaningful shop visits. Forecourts are evolving into multi service, digitally enabled hubs As fuel margins come und...

 

  IGD, 25 June 2025 Explore how roadside retailing is remaining a focus for significant development and the opportunities it brings. Roadside retailing remains a focus for significant development. Forecourt operators are seeking to target the complementary opportunities connected to the sale of fuel, and to the commercial charging of the growing numbers of electric vehicles. In this changing world, the challenging economics of fuel sales and recharging are making complementary retail an ever more critical component of roadside sites’ commercial success. However, to target this opportunity, businesses face significant challenges. These include developing capabilities that can deliver credible and successful solutions across different areas of trade that require a diversity of non-core operational processes and skills. As we have seen over recent decades, the simplest approach, which offers the quickest results, is to partner with other businesses, such as retail and foodservice. Thi...

 

  The UK forecourt market is undergoing a transformation, shaped by shifting consumer needs, rising fuel prices, and the growing presence of electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure. Once centred around petrol sales, today’s forecourts are redefining themselves as convenience-led destinations, increasingly focused on fresh food, food to go, and service expansion. With 69% of purchases made impulsively and basket sizes outpacing other convenience formats, the sector presents both a commercial challenge and a growth opportunity. As operators respond to inflationary pressures and evolving shopper mindsets, understanding the latest forecourt retail trends is critical for stakeholders navigating this dynamic environment. The UK forecourt market remains a major pillar of the convenience sector, accounting for 18.3% of total UK convenience sales and generating £5.9 billion in revenue from forecourt shops alone in 2024. Despite volume pressures from reduced fuel demand, the sector continues to...

Namnews, 21st February 2023 Asda has reached the 100-store milestone for its ‘On the Move’ forecourt convenience format developed with the EG Group. It also confirmed plans to open a further 100 sites across the UK this year. The Asda On the Move concept was launched in October 2020 as part of the supermarket’s push to grow its presence in the convenience channel. The 100th store, which is located on Cargo Fleet Lane in Middlesbrough, is one of 35 that have opened so far this year on EG’s existing forecourt estate. Asda supplies the 2,500 products stocked in the stores on a wholesale basis to EG Group, which owns and operates each site. James Laws, Senior Director Wholesale & Convenience at Asda, said: “The opening of the 100th Asda on the Move store is a milestone in our convenience journey to bring Asda’s great products to more customers through our partnership with EG Group. “The popularity of these stores shows us that customers want to be able to pick up essential products or ...

Namnews, 31st August 2022 Following rumours in recent days, the Co-op has announced that it is selling its petrol forecourt business to Asda for a total enterprise value of £600m (cash value £438m). The transaction includes 129 forecourts and three development sites, representing 5% of the Co-op’s retail estate of 2,564 stores. Alongside the petrol filling stations, the sites host grocery retail stores of between 1,500 and 3,000 sq. ft. They generated net sales of £863m and an EBITDA of £53m during the year to June 2022. The society said the proceeds from the sale would be used to reinvest in its core convenience business, as well as its growing wholesale, franchise and e-commerce operations. It also stated the funds would support the reduction of the group’s debt. “This transaction is in line with our strategy to move away from operating petrol forecourts and supports our vision of Co-operating for a fairer world while building our core leading convenience business,” said Shirine Khou...