Petrol station closure rate decelerates in 2016

The UK fuel retail sector has 'turned a corner', with the long-term trend of forecourt closures stabilising, a new report suggests.

There were 8,489 sites operating at the close of 2016. Picture: Contributed

There were 8,489 sites operating at the close of 2016, according to the latest survey by the Energy Institute. That compares to 8,472 sites a year earlier and 8,609 in 2014.

BP led the forecourt branding field, topping the listing with 1,278 outlets – equal to 2015. Esso secured second place with 1,081 branded sites, up from 1,030 the year before, while Shell was in third position, with 1,029 outlets, against 1,023 in 2015.

The supermarket sector held a collective 44 per cent market share, accounting for nearly 45 per cent of total UK fuel sales.

Data for the survey is broken down by company, region and forecourt facilities and does not reflect changes since the tail end of 2016. The figures are cross-checked with numbers from market analyst Experian Catalist.

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