Countrywide account?

[34HF90]

Hello,
I don't know if I'm posting this in the right place (apologies if not).

My 'local' LPG forecourt is some 9 miles from me, and is the closest station serving LPG to the public. Recently they have been having endless problems with their pump. The fault is electrical and causes the whole forecourt to trip out when used...sometimes. It's pot luck as to whether it works or not, but now has an 'out of order' notice on it. The staff say they have no idea when it will be fixed (can't get the engineer/he said he'd be here today etc etc).

Losing patience with this, I noticed that the nearest Countrywide dispenser is only 5 miles distant so looking at a Countrywide account. The application arrived today. There are all kinds of questions about what kind of business I run and trade references etc.

Am I given to understand that Countrywide is a 'trade only' set up? What do I need to apply for this- anyone have any experience of this?

This is actually a real problem for me here since if the local station decide to abandon LPG (and I wouldn't put it past them. their demand is so small) then I will have to do so also if I can't find a local alternative supplier that I can use- it wouldn't be practical to carry on with it.

By the way, I'm not in the Hebridean islands either- just a remote corner of Wiltshire!

Thanks for replies in advance-

Martin

[Tubbs]

You dont need to be a buisiness to set up a countrywide account. As long as you have a bank account with direct debit facilities then thats all they need. So just leave all that bit blank. If you have any problems find a lady called Karen. She is the account manager i think. Lovely lady and always been morre than happy to help whenever i have had a problem. I was quite an early addopter of countrywide and get really twitchy now when i have to go 'off grid' and pay forecourt prices for LPG.

[34HF90]

You dont need to be a buisiness to set up a countrywide account. As long as you have a bank account with direct debit facilities then thats all they need. So just leave all that bit blank. If you have any problems find a lady called Karen. She is the account manager i think. Lovely lady and always been morre than happy to help whenever i have had a problem. I was quite an early addopter of countrywide and get really twitchy now when i have to go 'off grid' and pay forecourt prices for LPG.

Thanks very much for that- quite a relief! Yes, 'tis true that Countrywide prices are cheaper.
My 'local' forecourt (the one with the problems) charges 81p/litre.

I do wonder how many small independant retailers could be tipped over by things like this. At that particular station I never see anyone else using the pump, and they don't seem particularly bothered about getting it fixed in a hurry so I'd assume they don't make much from it anyway.

Thanks again- I'll fill in the form!

[rossko]

I do wonder how many small independant retailers could be tipped over by things like this.

What, like people not using them and going elsewhere ...

Don't forget there are independant suppliers that don't advertise (hint) depending where in the county you are. The pump is more workshop tool than cash cow. We can't beat Countrywide prices though, not enough volume.

[Tubbs]

Depends if you have a countrywide bunker at your workshop site. I had one once. You get paid a minimal ammount for every litre every one uses. Its pretty good.

[SimonHobson]

... I'd assume they don't make much from it anyway.

I don't know what margins are like now, but way back when I first got into it a friend was in the garage trade. As an independent they had to buy petrol/diesel at whatever the wholesalers told them, and sell at whatever the local "big boys" set the market price at. Sometimes the difference was negative, seldom more than 1 or 2 %
Basically, for most fuel retailers, the forecourt is there to get people through the shop - and if they can get them to buy something then that's where they make their profit.

At the same time, I'd been quoted a price to fill a private tank which told me a retailer could make (easily) 20 to 30% gross. I suspect that's reduced somewhat these days, but if there isn;t a supermarket/similar locally, then there is clearly scope for a decent margin. Certainly if they are charging 81ppl then there's a reasonable margin there, I'm paying 67.9ppl at my local Morrisons and I assume they aren't selling at a loss.

A while back I was talking to the manager (owner I think) at my local Texaco franchise. I commented about standing out in the rain with the gas pump being at the far end of the yard away from the main pumps. He said he'd considered moving it, but it would have cost £13k - yes, 13 grand - to move. That's a hell of a lot of extra fuel you'd need to sell to justify the cost.

[rossko]

as it 'appens, our bunker is CW badged but not on the key account scheme, where everyone is charged different rates. Our deal is conventional - lease the pump, buy the stock, retail at what you can get. Pretty much dictated by the wholesale price which in turn is dictated by volume. Low volume = break even = fine for a workshop tool.

I'd been quoted a price to fill a private tank

take care with apples and oranges; tank fills for Autogas are road duty paid, other domestic/commercial isn't.

I'm paying 67.9ppl at my local Morrisons and I assume they aren't selling at a loss.

I wouldn't count on that, supermarket-o-nomics are weirdness, but yes I doubt they'd take a big knock on niche product.

[SimonHobson]

I'd been quoted a price to fill a private tank

take care with apples and oranges; tank fills for Autogas are road duty paid, other domestic/commercial isn't.

This was VAT & Duty paid - not heating gas. So comparing apples and apples.

[Gilbertd]

I would suspect the margins on LPG are considerably higher than on petrol and diesel. Sometime last year I was filling up at my local Flogas depot and chatting about the differences in prices from one place to another. I mentioned a garage operated by Somerfield that was 8p a litre more expensive than I was paying at Flogas. His comment was, yes, and we supply them. So I very much doubt Flogas would charge the same to a filling station for a bulk delivery as they charge me for my 66 litres at a time, but even if they only charged 2p a litre less, that's still 10p a litre profit for the filling station. Not a bad margin by anyone's standards.

[jaafar]

Country Wide in Ledbury Herefordshire is charging me 59p + VAT which comes to 71p per Liter. Happy with that.