A dramatic, modern forecourt design that places the Moroccan oil company Winxo in an international context

The secret is out. Winxo is the new name of the Moroccan oil company, CMH. Unveiled recently to the public on 3 February, Winxo’s new flower logo identity and forecourt branding marks an important step change for the company and will see customers benefit too.

Out of the box thinking

Scandinavian company U-Cont is well-known for modular filling station systems and its new above ground tank solution developed in partnership with UNicontain recently caught our attention, being highly flexible and offering significant cost savings for many forecourt retailers.

Kerb trip incident acts as reminder for forecourt owners

Petrol station boss Steve Jones, Harvest Energy | Credit: Anglia News

PC Kelly Jones “drops legal action” against burglary victim whose kerb she tripped over at a Harvest Energy  petrol station in Thetford, Norfolk on August 25, 2012.

Lewis Hamilton mistakenly pits in the wrong garage

Lewis Hamilton mistakenly pits in the wrong garage at the Malaysian Grand Prix last Sunday. McLaren’s pit box would have taken some resisting for Lewis Hamilton who was their F1 driver for 6 years until signing to Mercedes at the end of last season. It is understandably hard to break a bond of team loyalty after so many years, still harder if the colours of his former team’s overalls are more eye catching.

An international symbol of access?

The international symbol of access (ISA) is often seen where access has been improved, particularly for wheelchair users. But in this instance the ubiquitous symbol appears to negate its original intention.

Eka wins petrol station of the year award

Sovazs, publisher of Modern Station has named Eka as "Station of the Year". The award attributes not only Russian fuel retail group Eka but also the London-based design firm Minale Tattersfield.

Russians will be able to sleep at filling stations

Russian fuel operator TNK-BP plans to invest more than five billion rubbles over the next two to three years by opening over 30 multipurpose filling complexes (MFCs).

Along M4 "Don", forecourt services will be expanded to account for the growing number of people traveling by car to Europe, and to the south to the sea. Facilities will include secure parking, shower and washroom facilities, a laundry area, restaurants and even a motel.

Rosneft is also planning on following suit by opening 20 multipurpose gas stations with an on-site motel in the run up to the 2014 Olympics.

Further information:
http://lenta.ru/news/2012/07/04/azs

Garage chic drives UK forecourt fortune

Is it a sign of our times when we see yet another petrol station sold off to become a trendy fast food restaurant – our insatiable hunger for gastronomic heaven, whether it be bespoke burgers or designer pizzas?

Petronas looks to the sun with twin station launch

Petronas Dagangan Bhd (PetDag) this week launched a new flagship station combining the Solaris Putra and Solaris Serdang, situated along the PLUS expressway and Besreya highway respectively. PetDag's CEO Aminul Rashid Mohd Zamzam claims the twin stations are "first of their kind" – but what's so special about their energy-efficient and customer-centric design?

Design focus: The science of design

Design aesthetics are but a small part of what commercially minded forecourt specialists need to consider in planning effective roadside retail designs.

Eka goes eco with latest forecourt design

This isn't the first EV charging station in outer Moscow area, nor is it by any means the last. The new Eka station located on Moscow's fast Ring Road (MKAD-26km) is special for another reason. It's the first petrol station to include rapid charging EV infrastructure and thus offers a credible way forward to improving Moscow's environmental situation.

Bashneft brings it all together under one roof

Some fuel retail networks, by default of their geography, are harder to manage than others. The Bashneft network for example comprises 485 own filling stations in the Republic of Bashkortostan, the Republic of Udmurtia, Orenburg and Sverdlovsk regions, as well as over 220 partner filling stations in about 20 regions of Russia.

Lukoil expands non-fuel offer with new convenience store design

Lukoil wants to be the dominant petroleum convenience operator but with competition from Bashneft, Tatneft and Rosneft, how can Russia's largest independent company improve on its current position and attract a greater number of customers into its stores?

A is for Alliance

Russian fuel operator Alliance has just launched a new look for its 34th station in Khabarovsk, the 2nd largest city after Vladivostok in the Russian Far East. International design agency Minale Tattersfield was brought in to develop a new corporate and retail identity for the brand.

F1 Mercedes AMG racer Rosberg lends Petronas a helping hand with forecourt pump duties

Extraordinary Eka

Russian fuel retailer EKA was founded in 1997 and today it manages a small network of 58 filling stations within Moscow and its vicinity. With just 8% market share of the total gas stations in Moscow how could Minale Tattersfield help EKA build brand visibility in a landscape dominated by the big three?

Design project management insight: Just-in-case vs. just-in-time

There is an increasing tendency on the part of downstream fuel retail operators to demand faster design turnarounds and site rollouts for forecourt rebranding projects.

To fulfil these expectations, there is an onus on the lead design agency to exercise responsibility for the physical rollout of the project, although strictly speaking its principal role following handover of completed brand manual, is to brief relevant stakeholders, project managers, task managers, site installers and erectors.

The adopted design route has an important bearing on logistical and procurement decisions and in the identification of appropriate suppliers with their own particular team of sub-contractors.

The decision of whether to adopt a just-in-time methodology or to stockpile (just-in-case) is principally one for the client and appointed sign contractor to decide upon but keeping the project on-budget and on-schedule is a team effort, in the widest of senses.

Texaco highway forecourt station in Brussels

This new highway service station situated on the outskirts of Brussels is an award-winning design for Texaco. The forecourt design 'ingeniously' echoes the flora and fauna of the surrounding area in a modern and imaginative manner. Take a look at the tree graphics on the building's glazing which helps to minimise solar gain. The 'tree' columns and interior surfaces are made of polished concrete and the finish is very clean and pure looking but with the corporate style white furniture the overall effect is a little too austere.

New beginning under Forte Oil

In 1996, prior to undertaking some branding work for So energy, I was observing how petroleum brands in Sub-Saharan Africa were marketing themselves and it occurred to me how African Petroleum brazenly applied the typographic style of the Raymond Loewy's BP emblem.

Poland - a dynamic powerhouse for energy drinks

Energy drinks have for some time been associated with extreme sports including rally car racing and Formula 1 motor sports so it comes as no surprise that Polish fuel retailer Lotos has started selling its own-brand energy drink, Dynamic.