Forecourt Solutions
Another fuel price increase: why your wash bay matters more than ever
Another fuel price increase! Petrol moved above R30.00 a litre in Gauteng this week, and diesel is up more than R2.80.
For the forecourt owner, the margin does not move with the price. As SAPRA pointed out this week, the regulated retail margin is a fixed amount in cents per litre. Higher pump prices mean more working capital in every tank and higher card fees on every sale, with no additional margin to show for it.
Nedbank's Forecourt Retail Report 2025/26 points to where that leads. In the words of Nedbank's Karen Keylock: "The forecourt of the future will be defined by diversification." Many forecourts already have part of that answer on site: a wash bay, and customers who use it.
The question is whether that bay is set up for where the market is going. Today, more than ever, motorists are under pressure on cost and on time. In most cases, an automatic rollover can be retrofitted into an existing washbay. It delivers a consistent wash in minutes, and it can keep washing, and earning, long after normal working hours. On a 24-hour forecourt, that can mean through the night.
Whether you run one site or a network, reach out to our team to arrange an on site assessment.
