The Penetration and Performance of Unmanned Sites in European Fuel Retailing

Unmanned service stations have long been popular in Switzerland and the Scandinavian markets where they account for up to 50% of the entire network. This site concept is now being replicated in other markets. This brief details the size of the unmanned sector in 27 European markets, outlines the drivers of unmanned sites, and identifies where the sector is experiencing growth.



Report Highlights
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 market, 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.


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DATAMONITOR VIEW 1
CATALYST 1
SUMMARY 1
SOURCES 1
ANALYSIS 2
There is a significant disparity among European markets in the penetration of unmanned sites into the fuel retailing 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 Europe 5
In high growth unmanned markets, Neste and hypermarkets have been the principal drivers of growth 6
Across Europe, 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 European markets 8
In western Europe falling margins and fierce competition have prompted a number of retailers to expand their unmanned networks 8
New entrants to eastern Europe have directly replicated the Nordic model, pre-empting future market maturity 9
Market developments have made unmanned networks an increasingly feasible option for fuel retailers 10
European 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 market's saturation suggests that the need to develop non-fuel sales will limit the growth in unmanned sites in mature markets 12
Despite the increasing feasibility of the unmanned site concept across Europe, growth in most western European markets will be limited 13
The unmanned forecourt concept has received a mixed reception in western Europe 13
Players in eastern Europe have strong intentions to expand their unmanned networks 14
APPENDIX 15
Further reading 15
Notes 15
Ask the analyst 15
Datamonitor consulting 15
Disclaimer 15

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Figure 1: Over 50% of service stations are of unmanned format in Switzerland, Denmark and Sweden 2
Figure 2: Unmanned service stations are growing at especially strong rates in the UK, Estonia and Poland 4
Figure 3: Across Europe, Hydro Texaco, Avia and OK have the most unmanned service stations 5
Figure 4: Neste added 37 unmanned sites to its network between 2004 and 2007 6
Figure 5: Avia increased the number of unmanned sites in its network by 161 between 2004 and 2007 7
Figure 6: There has been a substantial increase in card usage in Estonia 10
Figure 7: The value of shop items in the average customer basket in Sweden, Italy and Denmark is above the European average 11
Figure 8: Between 2004 and 2007, the proportion of sites in Switzerland that are unmanned fell from 55% to 53% 12

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