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1. barrow Submitted 4 months ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

   The one on Boothferry Road at Darleys roundabout was closed today

2. EclecticBadger Submitted 4 months ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

   After checking Total’s website it can be read that they are in partnership with The Sewell Group redeveloping all their forecourt sites. The Chanterlands Avenue (former BP) site closed since the floods is mentioned as being redeveloped and reopened 8th June this year.

   A quick Google to The Sewell Group latestest news finds an article dated November 2007, indicating that a division ‘Sewell Retail’ are in the process of acquiring all the key Total sites in the Hull and East Riding area, and the sites mentioned by Freedoddy may be the latest aquisitions.

   It should be bourne in mind that whilst most fuel station sites are supplied by one major supplier, the business is often run as a franchise (which explains the different prices between locations as individual managers charge what they can get away with). With Sewell Retail buying in to all the sites it will be interesting to see whether this mean uniform pricing(?)

   TOTAL – Latest News http://www.total.gb.com/apps_wex/presscentre_contact/news_popup_display.cfm?ID=211

   THE SEWELL GROUP – News http://www.sewell-group.co.uk/news011107.html

3. Freedoddy Submitted 4 months ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

   Cheers for the googling Eclectic Badger. However, I feel I must point out that these sites are nothing at all to do with the Sewell group (and won’t be in the near future either). Also, the Sewell policy mentions the aquisition of "Key" sites in the area. One could probably assume that they aren’t going for a complete monopoly in the area, therefore "uniform pricing" won’t be a factor that any of us have to worry about any time soon.

   Essentially, the truth of the matter is this. The company that ran the retail side of these businesses is no longer in partnership with Total. As some of you may have seen, the shops are pretty much empty. The forecourts are now open again as of today.A new company will be looking after the shop operation from now on and should be re-stocking the shelves within a matter of days.

   So pretty much business as usual. Nice to see the same staff there too.

4. Sparki Submitted 4 months ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

   Beg to differ Freedoddy, but correct me if I am wrong, some time ago Paul Sewell of the Sewell Group (leads road) was featured in the opening of a petrol station, and would I be right in saying that there is a plaque on the robson way garage to verify that the garage was owned by the sewell group who’s address was Leads Road (I apologize if I am wrong)

5. Sparki Submitted 4 months ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

   Boothferry Road filling station just passed 1st lane has just been rebuilt after it was demolished. The filling station on Chants ave, was Rixes then it was also rebuilt, ready to open as Cost cutter and then never did, now it is a Sewell Filling station, the owner of the garage on Sutton road said to me, there is no money any more in being a filling station owner, he used to price match when Asda cut their fuel prices, there is large investment in the fuel industry, if you can afford to buy shares, but the way this country is going, we won’t be able to afford nowt.

   The fuel lobby and protesters may aswell sit at home we all symapthize with them, but every time the cost of fuel goes up so does the Governments income, thats why they will do nothing, labour has always been full of empty promises, we had the choice, we have only ourselves to blame, local elections…. Lib Dems, not labour or the Con’s, does that say something

6. barrow Submitted 4 months ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

   The one in Hessle is open again with a new name retail unit.Red something or other.Freebody was right

7. Freedoddy Submitted 4 months ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

   Quote sparki "Beg to differ Freedoddy, but correct me if I am wrong, some time ago Paul Sewell of the Sewell Group (leads road) was featured in the opening of a petrol station, and would I be right in saying that there is a plaque on the robson way garage to verify that the garage was owned by the sewell group who’s address was Leads Road (I apologize if I am wrong)

   How are you differing sparki? I fail so see what relevance, the point you’re trying to make, has with regards the original discussion?

   "Boothferry Road filling station just passed 1st lane has just been rebuilt after it was demolished."

   Yes, but that was never a Total site. Its Esso. The one we’re referring to is the one on the junction with Beverley Road,the one at the side of the roundabout.

   As for the rest of your post, well, thats a debate for another day.

8. Freedoddy Submitted 4 months ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

   I just had to bump this to hopefully bring it to the attention of the moderators.

   I notice that my original post and part of eclectic badgers reply appeared in the HDM today.

   My question is…Who was responsible for the editorial decision to print the comments?

   I think it was a bad decision for the following reasons.

   1. I asked a vague question? 2. Eclectic badger gave a mis-informed, and quite unrelated reply. 3. I later returned with the correct answer to my original question.

   Essentially, why were points 1 and 2 printed but point number 3 was not?

   Basically, If any staff of the affected company had read the comments, how must they feel? They’ve had a couple of days potentially worrying about their jobs. Then, to add to the confusion, the incorrect comments about the Sewells group were also left in. What must they think, being linked publicly to other businesses in the area?

   I understand that comments from here can be printed as it the HDM’s prerogotive. I just think that the content that was reproduced in todays paper was misleading and bound to cause confusion, rumour and possible upset.

9. Colombo Submitted 4 months ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

   That’s HDM for you. Like Look North: Don’t let the facts get in the way of a good story.

10. Freedoddy Submitted 4 months ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

    If they had space that needed filling, couldn’t they have printed another of Syd Shepard’s letters or something?

    I simply cannot understand why they would let it go to print as it looks completely unbalanced and almost looks like scare-mongering.

    My comments are always aimed at this forum, not for the newspaper (if I wanted that I would write to the HDM direct) and I, for one, will be careful what I write on here in the future.

11. EclecticBadger Submitted 4 months ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

    Freedoddy, with respect you posed a question and I responded; I do not think my comment was unrelated as it concerned Total fuel stations and their redevelopment. I also used the phrase "may be the latest acquisitions" indicating that this was speculative based on the available information located on both the company media sites.

    You later confirmed that this assumption was incorrect, which I am perfectly ok about, but it might also be useful and perhaps newsworthy if you could disclose who the new company is behind the store purchases.

12. Lazarus Submitted 4 months ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

    We are all aware that Sewells sold off about c.10 million worth of fuel station (quoted) stock a few years ago aren’t we? So why do we think they are buying it all back?

13. Freedoddy Submitted 4 months ago Unsuitable Content? Report it!

    As some may be aware, the "name above the door" doesn’t always dictate who actually runs the retail operation of the shops. The Filling stations I was referring to were run by a company called "Starwells" , I think. The company ran about a dozen operations in East Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. I’m not sure if the new operators have taken over the Starwell estate in full, but certainly, the Hull sites are now operated by a company from Coventry.

    As for the Sewells sites, they are great places, albeit even if the shop prices are higher than other places. The company looks like it’s invested heavily in recent months. The Chanterlands Avenue shop looks amazing. Yeah, maybe the price is passed on but at least it’s better than some of the squalid, dirty and unfriendly places we see all over town.

    As for whether they continue to invest in the area’s filling stations, who knows? There comes a time when you reach saturation point and they aren’t far from that point just now I’d guess. It’s no point monopolising an area as you’re just diluting your profits.

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