A new forecourt design from JET has been given a resounding thumbs up by both dealers and consumers in a recent 12-store pilot and the new design will now be rolled out across the network.
As forecourts continue to get slicker and slicker and the shopper experience continues to improve, it’s never been more important for retailers to ensure their forecourt sends exactly the right message to their customers. That’s why JET has been working continuously to evolve and improve its forecourt designs with a recent pilot seeing a brand new design trialed in 12 sites.
According to JET, the new forecourt design has received “an overwhelmingly positive response from consumers and dealers alike”. The pilot has now successfully completed, with two company-owned and 10 dealer-owned sites taking part. The new design will now be rolled out across the JET network.
The sites incorporate an array of forecourt design improvements to create a safe, friendly and welcoming environment for customers – and to help JET dealers widen their sites’ appeal and attract forecourt footfall.
These include a fabricated LED-lit logo, a soft-angled canopy with dual-colour LED illumination, an LED-lit four-price pole sign and updated signage.
With JET forecourts coming in all shapes and sizes, it was vital that the fuel brand’s new image would work perfectly across the whole network. In-depth research and testing were undertaken during the planning process. Consumer and dealer research was undertaken, input was received from JET’s Continental Business Unit (CBU) and best practice from Phillips 66 in the United States was also incorporated to help shape the new forecourt image.
One of the sites that took part in the pilot was JET Cothouse Service Station near Dunoon. Scott Murray, who runs the site with his father Alistair and brother John, comments: “We really like the new image and logo. It looks very modern, dynamic and professional. The grey works particularly well and the new canopy is sleek. The modern pole sign design is definitely an improvement and having all the prices displayed is great for pricing clarity to customers. We’ll certainly see the benefits of the new LED lights when the winter nights draw in! The canopy sets us apart from competition with its angled edges, and the combination of uplighting LED and the LED strips looks fantastic.
“Our customers really like the new design. A refresh is always welcomed by staff and customers as it helps to give a sense of pride in our store. Customers like their local site to look the part!”
Oliver Müller, JET’s Retail Business Manager, says: “The forecourt retailing market is constantly evolving and JET is fully committed to responding to changes in consumer expectations and retail trends.
“Over the past 12 months, we’ve been working on an initiative to refresh our forecourt branding, make our sites more distinctive, support our dealers in their businesses and enhance our forecourt experience in order to reconnect with consumers. We’ve built on the strength of JET’s heritage, expertise and personality to come up with a new forecourt image that we are delighted to say has been welcomed with open arms by our dealers and their customers.
“We’re delighted with the dealer and consumer feedback we’ve gathered so far. We’ve completed extensive consumer research at our pilot sites and have obtained feedback from our dealers, all of which has been overwhelmingly positive. 91% of consumers questioned agreed that the changes to the forecourt image improved the petrol station. We will continue to engage with both these audiences over the coming months and years as their ideas and input will help to shape any further improvements we introduce.”
Following the success of the pilot, the new design will now be confidently rolled out across the JET network with a number of sites due to be reimaged before the end of the year.
Müller concludes: “Our new image, along with our recently rebranded JET ULTRA Premium Fuels offering, is key to JET’s long-term retail strategy and our overarching goal of delivering a great forecourt experience for every JET consumer – every time they visit one of our forecourts. The success of this initiative to date demonstrates that we are making great strides in enhancing consumer perception of JET as a distinctive, modern, welcoming, friendly forecourt brand. Furthermore, we are confident that the changes we are implementing are helping to support our dealers in today’s increasingly competitive marketplace.”
