Busy times as Gulf strengthens Scottish network
From the Borders to the Highlands, the familiar Gulf logo and its blue and orange livery is once again a feature of the retail landscape. In the mid-nineties Scotland was the jewel of Gulf's UK forecourt operations and by the end of 2006, the Gulf brand will again become a force to be reckoned with in Scotland, according to Gulf Retail Director Keith Jewers.
"In Scotland and the rest of the UK we are successfully adding sites to our network every month. The average volume of these is around 2.2 million litres per annum compared with less than 1.3 million litres over a similar period last year. The momentum is building and our next six months will see a dramatic expansion to our Scottish dealer network, both in terms of volume throughput and quality. Whitburn Filling Station, a 3.5 million litre ex-Shell site in Edinburgh, is a good example of the type of new business we are attracting to the Gulf brand."
"The marketing dynamics for Scotland's petrol retailers has changed since Gulf were a dominant force across the Central belt in the nineties. Today, there is even greater pressure on diversification and innovation with dealers forced to find new revenue streams to compensate for diminishing margins. The growing dominance of the supermarket chains within petrol retailing has put intense pressure on the profitability of the independent forecourt owner."
Girvans of Aberfeldy is a good example of an established family run business that has successfully developed its operation by introducing new profit centres to offset reducing margins. A busy forecourt shop is just part of the overall picture for this Gulf-branded 2 million litre site. There is also a hardware shop - that Ronnie Barker would be proud of - and a standalone outdoor sports store to meet the demand of both local and tourist trade.
"We have had to remain innovative in a tough retailing environment," explains Blair Girvan, Managing Director of Girvans of Aberfeldy. "Our next major investment is to improve our workshop facilities. Along with servicing and MOTs we undertake gas conversions and the refurbishment of our workshops will enable us to introduce the very latest equipment and considerably increase our throughput."
"In due course we will also be doubling the size of our Londis convenience shop. This will allow us to stock a greater diversity of products including an extensive range of chilled and frozen foods. It is such a fast moving environment that there is no time to sit back and admire our achievements. We are constantly listening to our customers and working closely with our suppliers such as Gulf to find new and profitable opportunities to develop the business."
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