As vehicle technology, innovation & global government mandates slowly expand into Electric and Hydrogen models, the need for a conventional forecourt becomes less and less. This means that the current forecourt space and retail offering will need to transform to meet future commercial and consumer needs.
The transformational journey will require clear regulatory pathways for the convenience channel to develop new consumer offerings to ensure viability and sustainability into the future, for example, external convenience outlets may require:
Space reallocation of the forecourt as the number of fuel pumps becomes less & the location required to fuel also changes.
Micro fulfillment centres to enable dark warehousing for online last mile delivery sales.
Creation of mobility hubs.
Drone charging stations to enable last mile delivery efficiency.
Internally, the retail offering will need to continue to innovate and evolve to meet consumer needs as the convenience store of the future transitions or remains a destination stop for consumers. Innovation may include:
- New product category offerings.
- Development of Dark kitchens to tackle QSR.
- Destination hub for click and collect.
- Omni channel restructure of internal store format to cater for changing consumer demands.
- Increase range mix to suit demographic of location.
- Expansion of services designed to make consumers lives easier.
AACS plays a critical role in:
We represent our members in matters most pressing to the industry and strongly lobby for government reforms. With various tiers of membership, there is a level of support suitable for every business size.