Ron Perry & Son forecourts are busy sites in the UK’s Northeast. The brand is famed for its trucker pit stops, having a forecourt on the North and South side of the A19 at Elwick services. It is also home to the popular OK family diner, with a convenience store and food on the go, to a busy Test & Tune workshop, breakdown and recovery, overnight parking, storage containers, and much more… it’s the ultimate one-stop pit stop for truckers.
Ron Perry & Son has an excellent history of combining state-of-the-art pump technology with an excellent standard of customer service. Under the Shell brand, Ron Perry & Son pumps through vast volumes of fuel as it keeps up with the daily drive-bys of A19 truckers. Due to these demands on their fuel business, they required an updated system that better ‘understood’ the needs and massive scale of their operation. There was a demand for a software provider who could offer the innovative bespoke technology required to handle the volume and stresses on its processes and tills; and grow with the business into the future, an investment in a long-term partnership.
“About three years ago with an old legacy system in place, we were in a position where we needed to update the old system. We were at a crossroads where the business demanded more of our EPoS provider. We did extensive research, and CBE came out on top as the provider most valued by our colleagues, and from referrals we knew they had a handle on the systems we needed. We had a chat and jumped across, and from the get-go, CBE delivered. Installation was smooth, and the technology, DOMS, and tills to electronic shelf edge labels were sleek, and the support was second to none.” Says Ron Perry, of Ron Perry & Son.
Following a demo at the Petrol Retailer’s Association Forum last year, the brand introduced CBE’s Fuel on Self-Checkout as a convenient and automated way for customers to pay for their fuel and goods.
“Initially, we had reservations,” said Ron. “We were nervous about how CBE would manage the activation, as we didn’t want it on our HGV pumps, and to be honest, we were expecting it would result in drive-offs but so far we’ve had none, it has only been a positive addition to the store. CBE were exceptional; they listened to what we needed and created bespoke software to accommodate our pump requirements. In-store, while customers are generally familiar with self-checkouts from supermarkets, it’s new to forecourts, so we invested time and energy into signage. Large screen TVs were introduced with animated arrows to direct customers to the self-checkout area, highlighting the ability to pay for fuel alongside their goods. The efficiencies this has brought to our business has been immense, especially at times when there are coaches of football fans stopping en route to a Middlesbrough AFC match, and it frees up our cashier staff to serve our fuel card customers. The interface is very user-friendly for our staff and customers.”
The forecourt retailer is currently planning an extensive refurbishment and has chosen CBE as their partner to assist with the technology that will allow them to future-proof its family business.
“CBE, and in particular their local team representatives, are very knowledgeable about the future fuels industry, which ties in with our expansion plans to introduce hydrogen fuels and EV charging stations to our forecourts. As the industry evolves, we expect CBE to play a huge role in the ease of transition and journey of Ron Perry & Son.”
