Elton Green Filling Station
Alan Byrne is a relative newcomer in petrol retailing, having taken ownership of Elton Green Filling Station in Stanlow, Cheshire, just three years ago.
His business comprises a forecourt pumping 38,000 litres a week, car sales and workshops with MOT facilities, all within the shadows of the Shell Oil Refinery at Stanlow.
The site had previously been supplied by Shell, the relationship ending in the summer. "When I took over the forecourt I discovered a number of things about petrol retailing that didn't inspire me. I was frustrated by the impersonal ordering service, which was done through an automated service. When things went wrong there was nobody to speak to. On occasion deliveries wouldn't turn up, or would arrive much later than expected."
One of Alan's earliest priorities was to redevelop the shop. However he found his cash flow was restricted by the large amount of money required to service his Shell fuelcard business. "We were paying Shell for a full load of fuel just three days after delivery, but we didn't receive reimbursement for fuel card sales until at least 14 days later. I calculated this was costing us more than £20,000 a year in interest and lost profit. My overdraft facility was so tied up with servicing Shell fuelcard accounts it restricted my ability to maintain a regular turnover in other areas of the business or invest in the development of the forecourt shop."
During 2006 Elton Green became free of tie and Alan took his business to Gulf. Profits have increased dramatically and, from the order clerk to the retail director, he now has proper channels of communication.
"Gulf only has dealer sites so it understands independents better and knows that they will benefit if we are performing well across our whole business. Not only do I now get to speak to humans when I call them, they even ask me when I would like delivery. Business is booming. Gulf permits us to offer bunkering and the Gulf account card is more profitable for us as Gulf pays us for the account business by the time our next load arrives. With Gulf's help we were finally able to redevelop and rebrand our shop, increasing the size by another third. Turnover has already doubled and we feel that, at long last, we are making strides."
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