IntroductionUnmanned service stations have long been popular in Switzerland and the Scandinavian industry s where they account for up to 50% of the entire network. This site concept is now being replicated in other industries. This brief details the size of the unmanned segment in 27 European industries, outlines the drivers of unmanned sites, and identifies where the segment is experiencing growth.Scope...
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Introduction
Unmanned service stations have long been popular in Switzerland and the Scandinavian industry s where they account for up to 50% of the entire network. This site concept is now being replicated in other industries. This brief details the size of the unmanned segment in 27 European industries, outlines the drivers of unmanned sites, and identifies where the segment is experiencing growth.
Scope
Detailed analysis of the growth in unmanned sites across 27 European industry s and of the industry players behind this expansionThe reasons why fuel retailers have developed their unmanned networks and how these differ between European industry sInsight into the industry developments that are making unmanned networks increasingly feasible and where these trends are most developedKey trends and predictions on which European industry s are likely to see largest increases in unmanned service stations going forwardKey Market Facts
UK, Estonia and Poland have experienced the strongest growth in unmanned service stations with the numbers of sites having increased by 144%, 102% and 82% between 2004 and 2007 respectively. However, in absolute terms, France experienced the largest increase in the number of unmanned sites with an additional 151 sites over the same period.The main driver for the increases in the number of unmanned service stations in Western Europe is fierce competition and falling margins. In the French industry, where hypermarkets account for 35% of fuel sales, price competition has led Esso to add 120 unmanned sites to its network over the last three years.Market developments have made unmanned networks an increasingly feasible option for fuel retailers. The greater use of cards for payment is one such trend. This has been growing especially quickly in Eastern Europe. For example, in Estonia the proporton of consumer payments made with a card rose from 10% to 25% between 2002 and 2006.Why Should You Buy This Report?
Assess the suitability of unmanned stations for your network and identify the factors that will make it a successIdentify potential barriers to operating successfully in unmanned industry s and establish appropriate strategies to overcome themForesee which fuel retailers are most likely to grow their unmanned networks in the future and what this means for the key competitors
Supermarket And Hypermarket Industry in Europe
DATAMONITOR VIEW 1
CATALYST 1
SUMMARY 1
SOURCES 1
ANALYSIS 2
There is a significant disparity among EUR pean industry s in the penetration of unmanned sites into the fuel distribution ing network 2
The penetration of unmanned service stations into national refueling networks is highest in Switzerland and Scandinavia 2
Growth of unmanned sites is strongest in the UK, Estonia and Poland 4
Hydro Texaco and Avia have the highest numbers of unmanned service stations in EUR pe 5
In high growth unmanned industries, Neste and hypermarkets have been the principal drivers of growth 6
Across EUR pe, Avia, Q8, OK, Esso and Neste have added the largest numbers of unmanned sites to their networks 7
The factors behind the investment in unmanned networks differ between western and eastern EUR pean industry s 8
In western EUR pe falling margins and fierce competition have prompted a number of distribution ers to grow their unmanned networks 8
New entrants to eastern EUR pe have directly replicated the Nordic model, pre-empting future industry maturity 9
Market developments have made unmanned networks an increasingly feasible option for fuel distribution ers 10
EUR pean customers are making a growing proportion of their payments by card 10
The expansion of unmanned networks does not preclude strong shop sales 11
The Swiss industry 's saturation suggests that the need to develop non-fuel sales will limit the growth in unmanned sites in mature industry s 12
Despite the increasing feasibility of the unmanned site concept across EUR pe, growth in most western EUR pean industry s will be limited 13
The unmanned forecourt concept has received a mixed reception in western EUR pe 13
Players in eastern EUR pe have strong intentions to grow their unmanned networks 14
APPENDIX 15
Further reading 15
Notes 15
Ask the analyst 15
Datamonitor consulting 15
Disclaimer 15
List of Figures
Chart 1: Over 50% of service stations are of unmanned format in Switzerland, Denmark and Sweden 2
Chart 2: Unmanned service stations are growing at especially strong rates in the UK, Estonia and Poland 4
Chart 3: Across EUR pe, Hydro Texaco, Avia and OK have the most unmanned service stations 5
Chart 4: Neste added 37 unmanned sites to its network between 2004 and 2007 6
Chart 5: Avia increased the number of unmanned sites in its network by 161 between 2004 and 2007 7
Chart 6: There has been a substantial increase in card usage in Estonia 10
Chart 7: The value of shop items in the average customer basket in Sweden, Italy and Denmark is above the EUR pean average 11
Chart 8: Between 2004 and 2007, the proportion of sites in Switzerland that are unmanned fell from 55% to 53% 12
