WORLD NEWS MEDIA DIRECTORY
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Forecourt Trader is the fuel-retailing sector's leading publication — the trade title for petrol forecourt and roadside retailers in the UK, published by William Reed Ltd from Broadfield Park, Crawley. Launched in 1991 (expanded with Forecourt News in 1996), it served the dealers, oil companies, symbol groups and suppliers of the forecourt industry in print until November 2022, when it moved to a digital-first future. Its website is forecourttrader.co.uk.
The brand's mission has always been practical: to help dealers run successful businesses. Alongside its journalism — news, analysis, features, advice and opinion — it publishes the unique Top 50 Indies ranking of the biggest independent forecourt operators and the comprehensive annual Fuel Market Review, and runs the industry's leading events: the Forecourt Trader Awards, the Forecourt Trader Summit and the Forecourt Show.
Forecourt Trader was launched in 1991 by William Reed, as the company expanded its retailing portfolio through the 1990s. The forecourt sector — petrol stations evolving into sophisticated convenience retail destinations — needed its own dedicated title, distinct from both the grocery press and the motor trade. Forecourt News was added in 1996, expanding the brand's coverage.
The launch timing captured a transformation: forecourts were becoming about far more than fuel, with shop sales, car washes, food-to-go and services growing in importance. The magazine chronicled the professionalisation of the sector — the rise of the big independent dealer groups, the symbol groups' move onto forecourts, and the changing economics of fuel retailing.
The magazine served the full forecourt ecosystem: independent dealers, company-owned networks, oil majors, symbol groups, and the equipment, technology and shop suppliers who serve them. Its journalism covered fuel pricing and the oil market, shop retailing and category management, tobacco and vaping legislation, car care, foodservice, regulation, crime and the people of the industry.
Its market intelligence was particularly valued: William Reed's research on forecourt store numbers and the independent sector fed industry reports tracking the consolidation of the market — including the landmark finding of the first rise in forecourt store numbers since 2002, driven by new builds and the return of decommissioned sites.
Two of the brand's signature products are its rankings and reviews: the unique Top 50 Indies, ranking the biggest independent forecourt operators in the UK, and the comprehensive annual Fuel Market Review. Together they provide the industry's definitive picture of who owns what, how the market is performing and where it is heading.
In a sector defined by consolidation — where a handful of large dealer groups now operate thousands of sites — these publications are essential reference works for everyone from oil companies to investors to suppliers targeting the industry's biggest buyers.
The brand's events connect and celebrate the industry "like no others," in William Reed's phrase: the Forecourt Trader Awards, honouring the best retailers, sites and suppliers; the Forecourt Trader Summit, the industry's conference; and the Forecourt Show, the trade exhibition. These gatherings are fixtures of the forecourt calendar.
The events reflect the brand's role as the industry's convenor: bringing dealers, oil companies and suppliers together to do business, share ideas and recognise excellence. For a dispersed industry of thousands of individual sites, that convening power matters.
In late 2022 Forecourt Trader announced a new chapter: the fuel-retailing sector's leading publication would move from print to focus on its well-established digital media and prestigious events. The last print edition appeared in November, with the brand investing its resources in its mobile-optimised website and digital channels.
Lorraine Hendle, managing director for retail & manufacturing at William Reed, explained the move as a response to changing market and media habits: readers were using digital channels for information at pace, and the brand would deliver market-leading information through a digital future. The mission, she stressed, was unchanged: to help dealers run successful businesses — informing, inspiring, connecting and supporting them as they adapted to a fast-changing market.
Forecourt Trader sits within William Reed's retail and manufacturing portfolio alongside The Grocer, Convenience Store and Food Manufacture, and the group's trade shows — the Forecourt, National Convenience and Farm Shop & Deli shows. The acquisition of the Pro-Retail trademark from the Palmer & Harvey administrators further strengthened its position in independent trade exhibitions.
Hendle herself, who stepped down as managing director of William Reed's UK brands in 2026 after more than 27 years with the company, was described as a defining force in the evolution of brands including Forecourt Trader — leading their digital transformation and ensuring their relevance in a rapidly changing industry.
The forecourt industry the brand serves is in profound transition: the shift towards electric vehicle charging, changing fuel demand, the growth of food-to-go and convenience, and the consolidation of ownership. Forecourt Trader's journalism tracks each of these shifts and what they mean for the dealers who must invest, adapt and compete.
From its 1991 launch to its digital-first present, the brand's purpose has never wavered: practical, market-leading information to help forecourt dealers run successful businesses — in print, online at forecourttrader.co.uk, and at the industry's great gatherings.
In late 2022 Forecourt Trader began a new chapter: the fuel-retailing sector's leading publication moved from print to focus on its well-established digital media and prestigious events. The last print edition appeared in November, after which the brand invested in its mobile-optimised website and digital offer. Lorraine Hendle, managing director for retail and manufacturing at publisher William Reed, said the brand had evolved over time to meet the changing needs of fuel retailing readers, and that embracing a digital future would let it deliver the best market-leading information at pace — continuing its mission to help dealers run successful businesses.
The brand's pillars remain: the Forecourt Trader Awards, the Forecourt Trader Summit and The Forecourt Show, alongside the unique Top 50 Indies ranking and the comprehensive annual Fuel Market Review.
The Forecourt Trader Awards are, in the organisers' words, the most important night in the forecourt industry calendar — bringing together the entire fuel community to reward the best people, retailers, suppliers and service providers across the UK fuel retail market. The first Forecourt Trader of the Year was crowned 28 years ago: David Charman of Parkfoot Garage, whose 1996 win he still describes as putting his business "on another level" with banks and suppliers. Recent ceremonies have honoured operators such as Sewell on the Go and regional champions from Scotland to the West Country, with categories spanning site design, customer service and symbol retailing. The 2026 awards culminate in a celebratory event at the Park Plaza, Westminster Bridge, London, on 8 October 2026.
Alongside the awards, Forecourt Trader publishes the Top 50 Indies — the definitive ranking of the UK's leading independent forecourt operators, from giants like MFG, EG On The Move and Rontec to regional champions — and the annual Fuel Market Review, the industry's comprehensive statistical health-check. Its website is forecourttrader.co.uk.
When Forecourt Trader said farewell to print, the decision was framed not as a retreat but as an evolution. Lorraine Hendle, managing director for retail and manufacturing at William Reed, told readers: 'The last decade has seen more change in the market and media habits than ever before. We are all using digital channels to provide us with our information at pace and we are responding to that change.'
The plan was to invest in a mobile-optimised website and a stronger digital offer, while continuing the brand's prestigious events — the Forecourt Trader Awards, the Summit and the Forecourt Show — which, in the company's words, 'connect and celebrate the industry like no others.' The unique Top 50 Indies ranking and the comprehensive annual Fuel Market Review would continue.
'Above all,' Hendle said, 'we will continue with our mission to help dealers to run successful businesses, and will develop products and services that inform, inspire, connect and support your business so you yourselves can successfully adapt to the fast-changing market.' It was a fitting statement of intent for a title that had served the forecourt industry since 1991.
See the official website for current coverage.
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