Brought to you by Source North America.
For convenience-store operators facing a forecourt upgrade, the prospect of temporarily shuttering their fuel pumps—even to complete enhancements that will benefit their bottom lines in the long run—is an unnerving prospect. With fuel representing the primary reason why customers stop at a c-store, getting the forecourt back up and running as quickly as possible is essential to overall profitability.
“Most gas-station construction projects require physical barriers in the form of safety perimeters. But the construction also creates barriers of perception with customers who see the fuel site in construction mode and either consciously or subconsciously remove that site from their list of go-to stations,” said Joe O’Brien, vice president of marketing for Source North America. “Getting the forecourt back to operational as efficiently as possible is a key to restoring revenues.”
Upgrades, especially those that involve breaking concrete, cause a certain amount of disruption before, during and after the job is complete. Some of it is unavoidable, but some of it can be minimized. Here are three strategies that c-stores can deploy to complete a gas station construction project on-time and on-budget.
Strategic Planning
Strategic planning is the foundation for a successful gas station business plan. For example, an estimated 800,000 c-store and gas station pumps will need to be upgraded to read EMV chip cards by 2020.
Forward-looking store operators are looking beyond the payment terminal to identify other upgrades, such as mobile payment technologies or media-rich marketing platforms, that will benefit their operation. C-stores will realize labor savings, reduced downtime and, potentially, supplier discounts by completing multiple upgrades at one time.
Turn to Industry Experts
Store owners, architects, contractors and engineers who partner with fueling-focused designers benefit from efficiencies created by leveraging resources with extensive experience in the retail fuel industry. For instance, Source North America’s SOLUTIONS Design Group provides comprehensive fuel system design services, including—but not limited to—piping layouts, tank location comparisons, canopy design, tank compartment design, circulation plans, gas station design drawings, which can be used for permitting, as well as quoting and equipment specification. These value-added services elevate the level of project coordination, helping project managers streamline the project from concept to completion.
Order Early
With respect to EMV upgrades in particular, c-stores that delay equipment acquisitions risk creating a domino effect that will result in project delays and increased downtime. With a limited pool of technicians available to complete upgrade services, retailers could find themselves facing significant installation delays or paying a high premium for the service.
Partnering with an experienced petroleum equipment distributor such as Source North America to establish a comprehensive site plan will help ensure your equipment, installation and certification needs are met in a timely and cost-effective manner.
This post is sponsored by Source North America