Service Station Retailing in Germany 2011

Based on Verdict Retail's proprietary market data and insight into key fuel retailers, this brief provides you with an up-to-date picture of the fuel retailing market in Germany. In addition to outlining service station numbers, fuel sales, competitor shares, and fuel and site forecasts, it also details retailers' c-store, car wash, and unmanned site numbers with an overview of their product offerings.

• Benchmark your service station retail offer against the major national players in the sector by examining their number of sites, shops and car washes.
• Develop new marketing ideas for your service station shop, car wash and card propositions by examining the activities of other players across Germany.
• Make informed pitches to potential partners by gaining insights into the major retailers’ networks, market shares, fuel throughputs, and future plans.
• Assess overall market entry potential by accessing key market indicators including registered cars, national fuel volumes, and average prices.

The German service station network has been contracting for well over a decade. In the year to January 2011, the number of sites in Germany declined marginally. Most major players decreased their site numbers except Jet, which added 10 sites to its network. Aral has also announced its plans to expand its network by 150 sites by 2017.

Fuel consumption in Germany increased marginally by 0.6% in 2010 on the back of higher diesel sales, while gasoline sales continued their downward trend. Aral retained its top position in terms of fuel volume share and was closely followed by Shell in the second position.

Germany has an extremely high shop penetration, with 94.8% of all service stations featuring a shop. Aral has the highest number of sites with a shop, with all of its sites featuring a forecourt shop. Germany also has a high proportion of sites with a car wash due to government regulations that prevent consumers from washing their cars at home.

• Who are the top five players in the German service station retail market and how many sites, shops, and car washes do they have?
• What is the market share and average fuel throughput per site of the top five players in Germany?
• How is the service station network evolving and which players are opening new outlets, as well as increasing forecourt shops and car washes?
• What strategies do the key players have across their fuel and non-fuel offerings in terms of products sold, branding, partnerships and suppliers used?

Table of contents

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
•Verdict Retail view
•Key findings
(Untitled sub-section)
•Main conclusions
Homewares shoppers continue to decline
Proportion of AB shoppers rises
Tesco tops visitor share while Asda has more main users
Shopping around stays level for third consecutive year
IKEA customers most loyal
Loyalty continues to be driven by price
•Retailer highlights
Asda retains its main user crown for homewares but Tesco applies further pressure
Young professionals have traded away from Tesco
Loyalty drops for Sainsbury's as customers shop around
Main user share rises at Dunelm Mill, as demographic reach broadens
Argos loses ground among AB shoppers
Wilkinson achieves strong gains in loyalty
Loyalty reaches a 10 year peak for IKEA
M&S gains visitor and main user share
Visitor share grows at John Lewis as expansion of standalone home stores continues
Debenhams sinks to 10th in homewares for visitor and main user share

SECTOR SUMMARY
•Share of shopper
More considered discretionary purchases lead to share of shopper falling again
•Penetration of homewares shoppers
Penetration remains weighted towards women and the more affluent
•Retailer usage
Asda retains top spot for main users but relinquishes visitor crown to Tesco
Main user share by region
•Conversion rates
Sector conversion rate falls to 10 year low
•Shopping around
Remains static for third straight year
•Loyalty
Declines marginally on previous survey
•Drivers of loyalty/ disloyalty
Price remains key for customers

ARGOS
•Check & reserve boosts top-line performance but competitors threaten its core DE shopper
Visitor and main user share improves for first time since
Argos loses ground among AB shoppers
While conversion has improved, it remains below historical levels
Despite topline improvements, its grip on its core DE shopper is eroding
Loyalty dips for the first time since
•Visitors
First improvement in share since
•Main users
Click and collect helps boost main user share
•Conversion rates
Conversion falls sharply among its DE shoppers
•Loyalty
Strong gains among young shoppers more than counterbalanced by losses among older shoppers
•Competitors
Customers shop around more as competition heats up

ASDA
•Despite robust shares and higher conversion, Asda should develop its offer further
Asda retains its main user crown, but Tesco is applying further pressure in homewares
Penetration remains strong among younger customers as it loses ground for main users
Asda improves conversion but rate remains second behind John Lewis
Loyalty continues to be an issue for Asda as it slips to second bottom among profiled retailers
•Visitors
Down across all socioeconomic groups
•Main users
Deep losses among younger customers
•Conversion rates
Improved best offer helps convert more AB and C1 shoppers
•Loyalty
Loyalty declines for the second straight year
•Competitors
Shopping around falls to five year low

DEBENHAMS
•Strong declines in visitor share and loyalty but opportunity for improvement
Sinks to the bottom in homewares for visitor and main user share …
… nevertheless conversion improves
Sharp decline in loyalty of Debenhams homewares shopper
Other stores used highlights the dangers of its midmarket position
Aspirational appeal and lack of crossover between sectors highlight potential gains
•Visitors
Visitor share falls for second straight year
•Main users
Decline since 2008 peak continues
•Conversion rates
Conversion shows mild improvement, fuelled by sharp increase in C1 shoppers
•Loyalty
Falls to lowest level since
•Competitors
Plenty of scope to encourage existing Debenhams shoppers to use the retailer more

DUNELM MILL
•Conversion grows as Dunelm loyalty increases
Footfall plateaus as consumers gravitate towards grocers
Main user share rises, as demographic reach broadens
Conversion rate grows as visitor share stalls
Loyalty increases moving Dunelm Mill up to seventh
Product quality makes the biggest gain as loyalty driver
•Visitors
Visitor share stalls as Tesco and Sainsbury's benefit from food footfall and cross-selling
•Main users
Growth in main user share indicates focused proposition
•Conversion rates
Conversion recovers as footfall stalls
•Loyalty
Dunelm Mill moves to seventh from ninth as loyalty begins to recover
•Competitors
Savvy consumers spread their spending

IKEA
•Still able to create and satisfy customer base
Visitor and main user shares remain impacted by a weak housing market
But it gains significant traction among DE shoppers
Loyalty reaches a 10 year peak to claim homewares top spot
Growing prevalence of designer ranges puts IKEA's position under threat
•Visitors
Weak housing market leads to visitor share continuing to decline
•Main users
Decline but share is more resilient than for visitors
•Conversion rates
Conversion rates improve but remain below levels reported in
•Loyalty
Price and range continue to support exceptional loyalty performance
•Competitors
Some retailers with improved designer offer gain at the expense of IKEA

JOHN LEWIS
•Recovery in visitor share, but conversion continues to decline
Visitor share grows as expansion of standalone home stores continues
Conversion falls as main user share fails to keep up with visitor share
Loyalty among C1s holds up but it declines among C2s
Second biggest decline in loyalty sees John Lewis lose top spot
•Visitors
Visitor share grows following a four year decline
•Main users
John Lewis overtakes IKEA with growth in user share
•Conversion rates
Conversion drops as user growth fails to keep up
•Loyalty
Loyalty falls as John Lewis overtaken by IKEA
•Competitors
Competitor use remains lower than most, but grows in

MARKS & SPENCER
•While conversion remains an issue, its main users have become more loyal
M&S gains visitor and main user share
Conversion slips …
… but loyalty increases significantly
Department stores still the main competition for Marks & Spencer in homewares
•Visitors
Recovers in 2012 but below 2009 levels
•Main users
Improvement driven by older customer
•Conversion rates
Low conversion rates continue for the retailer
•Loyalty
Significant improvement within this metric leads to retailer reaching new five year peak
•Competitors
Department stores remain main threat

SAINSBURY'S
•Mixed fortunes with improved reach, but not range
Homewares visitor share rises with ongoing store expansion
Still skewed to AB shoppers
Loyalty drops as customers shop around
Convenience is key but range will drive shoppers to switch away
•Visitors
Ongoing expansion fuels growing visitor share
•Main users
Steady improvement as Sainsbury's reaches more shoppers
•Conversion rates
Convinces shoppers that TU brand has worth
•Loyalty
Declines as range disappoints with prices under scrutiny
•Competitors
Greater choice elsewhere tempts Sainsbury's shoppers away

TESCO
•Tesco reaches more shoppers but fails to win their loyalty
Visitor share rises as space expansion peaks
Room to improve on converting visitors
Young professionals have traded away
Shoppers raise bar for Tesco making loyalty harder to win
•Visitors
Value appeal grows
•Main users
Recovers to pre-recession levels
•Conversion rates
Room to improve
•Loyalty
Shoppers raise bar for Tesco making loyalty harder to win
•Competitors
Increased options drive continued shopping around

WILKINSON
•Achieves positive performance across the board
Uplifts in visitor and main user share allow the retailer to reach new peaks
Strong gains among more affluent AB shoppers …
… but it appears to have lost ground when it comes to less affluent DE shoppers
Loyalty gains
Perceptions shifting
•Visitors
Hit new peak
•Main users
Reaches 10 year peak for main user share
•Conversion rates
Strong visitor uplift impacts on rate
•Loyalty
Attains new peak
•Competitors
Shopping around increases

APPENDIX
•Methodology
Selection of parliamentary constituencies
Selection of enumeration districts
Selection of respondents
Post survey weighting
•Ask the analyst
•Global Retail FreeView
•Verdict Retail Research consulting
•Disclaimer

TABLES
•Table: Profile of homewares shoppers – by region
•Table: Percentage of active homewares shoppers regularly using each retailer 2008–12
•Table: Percentage of active homewares shoppers regualrly using each retailer 2008–12
•Table: Share of active homewares shoppers naming a retailer as their main store (%), by TV region,
•Table: Average rate of conversion from visitor to main user by TV region
•Table: Average number of other stores used by TV region
•Table: Percentage of homewares shoppers that are loyal to their main store by TV region
•Table: Detailed drivers of loyalty
•Table: Homewares loyalty score 2008–12
•Table: Homewares loyalty score (continued) 2008–12
•Table: Homewares disloyalty score 2008–12
•Table: Homewares disloyalty score (continued) 2008–12
•Table: What disloyal users preferred about other homewares stores 2008–12
•Table: What disloyal users preferred about other homewares stores (continued) 2008–12
•Table: Visitor share by region
•Table: Main user share by region
•Table: Conversion rates by region
•Table: Loyalty by region
•Table: Drivers of loyalty
•Table: Drivers of disloyalty
•Table: Potential changes
•Table: Other homewares stores used 2008–11
•Table: Retailers most used in other sectors
•Table: Visitor share by region
•Table: Main user share by region
•Table: Conversion rates by region
•Table: Loyalty by region
•Table: Drivers of loyalty
•Table: Drivers of disloyalty
•Table: Potential changes
•Table: Other homewares stores used 2008–12
•Table: Retailers most used in other sectors
•Table: Visitor share by region
•Table: Main user share by region
•Table: Conversion rates by region
•Table: Loyalty by region
•Table: Drivers of loyalty
•Table: Drivers of disloyalty
•Table: Potential changes
•Table: Other homewares stores used 2008–12
•Table: Retailers most used in other sectors
•Table: Visitor share by region
•Table: Main user share by region
•Table: Conversion rates by region
•Table: Loyalty by region
•Table: Drivers of loyalty
•Table: Drivers of disloyalty
•Table: Potential changes
•Table: Other homewares stores used 2008–12
•Table: Retailers most used in other sectors
•Table: Visitor share by region
•Table: Main user share by region
•Table: Conversion rates by region
•Table: Loyalty by region
•Table: Drivers of loyalty
•Table: Drivers of disloyalty
•Table: Potential changes
•Table: Other homewares stores used 2008–12
•Table: Retailers most used in other sectors
•Table: Visitor share by region
•Table: Main user share by region
•Table: Conversion rates by region
•Table: Loyalty by region
•Table: Drivers of loyalty
•Table: Drivers of disloyalty
•Table: Potential changes
•Table: Other homewares stores used 2008–12
•Table: Retailers most used in other sectors
•Table: Visitor share by region
•Table: Main user share by region
•Table: Conversion rates by region
•Table: Loyalty by region
•Table: Drivers of loyalty
•Table: Drivers of disloyalty
•Table: Potential changes
•Table: Other homewares stores used 2008–12
•Table: Retailers most used in other sectors
•Table: Visitor share by region
•Table: Main user share by region
•Table: Conversion rates by region
•Table: Loyalty by region
•Table: Drivers of loyalty
•Table: Drivers of disloyalty
•Table: Potential changes
•Table: Other homewares stores used 2008–12
•Table: Retailers most used in other sectors
•Table: Visitor share by region
•Table: Main user share by region
•Table: Conversion rates by region
•Table: Loyalty by region
•Table: Drivers of loyalty
•Table: Drivers of disloyalty
•Table: Potential changes
•Table: Other homewares stores used 2008–12
•Table: Retailers most used in other sectors
•Table: Visitor share by region
•Table: Main user share by region
•Table: Conversion rates by region
•Table: Loyalty by region
•Table: Drivers of loyalty
•Table: Drivers of disloyalty
•Table: Potential changes
•Table: Other homewares stores used 2008–12
•Table: Retailers most used in other sectors
•Table: Sample sizes by sector

FIGURES
•Figure: Homewares share of shopper 2008–12
•Figure: Profile of homewares shoppers by gender 2008–12
•Figure: Profile of homewares shoppers by age bracket 2008–12
•Figure: Profile of homewares shoppers by socioeconomic class 2008–12
•Figure: Percentage of consumers who shop for homewares, by demographics
•Figure: Percentage of consumers who shop for homewares, by TV region
•Figure: Concentration of main user share of Top Five retailers in
•Figure: Concentration of main user share of Top Five retailers in
•Figure: Concentration of main user share of Top Five retailers in
•Figure: Average rate of conversion from visitor to main user 2008–12
•Figure: Rate of conversion from visitor to main user by retailer
•Figure: Average number of other stores used
•Figure: Average number of other stores used, by retailer, 2008–12
•Figure: Percentage of homewares shoppers that are loyal to their main store 2008–12
•Figure: Percentage of homewares shoppers loyal to their main store by demographic group
•Figure: Percentage of homewares shoppers that are loyal to their main store by retailer
•Figure: Percentage point change in loyalty rates since last year, by retailer,
•Figure: Percentage of loyal main users identifying drivers of loyalty 2008–12
•Figure: Visitor share 2008–12
•Figure: Visitor share by demographic group
•Figure: Main user share 2008–12
•Figure: Main user share by demographic group
•Figure: Conversion rates 2008–12
•Figure: Conversion rates by demographic group
•Figure: Loyalty 2008–12
•Figure: Loyalty by demographic group
•Figure: Preference stores
•Figure: Shopping around
•Figure: Visitor share 2008–12
•Figure: Visitor share by demographic group
•Figure: Main user share 2008–12
•Figure: Main user share by demographic group
•Figure: Conversion rates 2008–12
•Figure: Conversion rates by demographic group
•Figure: Loyalty 2008–12
•Figure: Loyalty by demographic group
•Figure: Preference stores
•Figure: Shopping around
•Figure: Visitor share 2008–12
•Figure: Visitor share by demographic group
•Figure: Main user share 2008–12
•Figure: Main user share by demographic group
•Figure: Conversion rates 2008–12
•Figure: Conversion rates by demographic group
•Figure: Loyalty 2008–12
•Figure: Loyalty by demographic group
•Figure: Preference stores
•Figure: Shopping around
•Figure: Visitor share 2008–12
•Figure: Visitor share by demographic group
•Figure: Main user share 2008–12
•Figure: Main user share by demographic group
•Figure: Conversion rates 2008–12
•Figure: Conversion rates by demographic group
•Figure: Loyalty 2008–12
•Figure: Loyalty by demographic group
•Figure: Preference stores
•Figure: Shopping around 2008–12
•Figure: Visitor share 2008–12
•Figure: Visitor share by demographic group
•Figure: Main user share 2008–12
•Figure: Main user share by demographic group
•Figure: Conversion rates 2008–12
•Figure: Conversion rates by demographic group
•Figure: Loyalty 2008–12
•Figure: Loyalty by demographic group
•Figure: Preference stores
•Figure: Shopping around 2008–12
•Figure: Visitor share 2008–12
•Figure: Visitor share by demographic group
•Figure: Main user share 2008–12
•Figure: Main user share by demographic group
•Figure: Conversion rates 2008–12
•Figure: Conversion rates by demographic group
•Figure: Loyalty 2008–12
•Figure: Loyalty by demographic group
•Figure: Preference stores
•Figure: Shopping around 2008–12
•Figure: Visitor share 2008–12
•Figure: Visitor share by demographic group
•Figure: Main user share 2008–12
•Figure: Main user share by demographic group
•Figure: Conversion rates 2008–12
•Figure: Conversion rates by demographic group
•Figure: Loyalty 2008–12
•Figure: Loyalty by demographic group
•Figure: Preference stores
•Figure: Shopping around
•Figure: Visitor share 2008–12
•Figure: Visitor share by demographic group
•Figure: Main user share 2008–12
•Figure: Main user share by demographic group
•Figure: Conversion rates 2008–12
•Figure: Conversion rates by demographic group
•Figure: Loyalty 2008–12
•Figure: Loyalty by demographic group
•Figure: Preference stores
•Figure: Shopping around
•Figure: Visitor share 2008–12
•Figure: Visitor share by demographic group
•Figure: Main user share 2008–12
•Figure: Main user share by demographic group
•Figure: Conversion rates 2008–12
•Figure: Conversion rates by demographic group
•Figure: Loyalty 2008–12
•Figure: Loyalty by demographic group
•Figure: Preference stores
•Figure: Shopping around 2008–12
•Figure: Visitor share 2008–12
•Figure: Visitor share by demographic group
•Figure: Main user share 2008–12
•Figure: Main user share by demographic group
•Figure: Conversion rates 2008–12
•Figure: Conversion rates by demographic group
•Figure: Loyalty 2008–12
•Figure: Loyalty by demographic group
•Figure: Preference stores
•Figure: Shopping around 2008–12

Related research categories

By sector: Retail (in Off-trade)

By market: Germany (in Europe)