Researchers recently conducted interviews with consumers over the age of 18 from all walks of life to determine which was South Africa's retailer of choice, of which ‘forecourt convenience stores’ was one, as part of The Times and Sowetan 2009 Retail Awards conducted by TNS Research Surveys.

The hotly contested awards – in its second year, which broadened its scope to go beyond Gauteng and become a national survey – again proved that the retail environment is highly competitive with small differences in ratings such as BP Express that narrowly lost out to Engen Quick Shop by a mere 1%.

BP Express shop’s market presence was made clear, as it outpaced its nearest competitors Woolworths Food Stop at Engen and Shell Select by 1% and 4% respectively, while Total Bonjour/La Boutique and Caltex Star Mart trailed behind by 9% and 14%.

Karin du Chenne, Managing Executive of TNS Research Surveys says the ‘forecourt convenience store’ category was an interesting one with a close battle.

“Today it’s almost a novelty to find a petrol station that does not have a C-store. Fuel retailers are splashing out on ever-growing product lines in a bid to differentiate from the competition and reap the rewards a thriving forecourt store can bring. And the public do notice when a fuel retailer has made the effort”, she points out.

Joe Mahlo, Head of Marketing at BP attributes BP Express’ success to the Wild Bean Café – an innovative food and coffee concept situated within the larger format BP Express shop.

BP’s Wild Bean Café was also contender in the ‘coffee shops’ category, beating popular brands such as House of Coffees, Café Newscafe and Dulce Café.