The Fragmented Forecourt: Episode 3 – Live from The Forecourt Show: EV promise meets forecourt reality
Forecourts and convenience retail sit at an increasingly awkward intersection. They are expected to reflect changing consumer habits, support new technologies like EV charging, and respond to health, regulatory, and economic pressures, all while running on infrastructure that was never designed for this level of complexity.
Recorded at the Forecourt Show, this episode brings together Matt Oldham from Attenda and Ghermaine Henry from Aevi to explore what is really changing on UK forecourts and what is proving harder than expected. From shifting product mixes and healthier convenience options, to the realities of EV charging economics and unreliable customer journeys, the conversation cuts through assumptions and looks at what is actually happening on the ground.
Rather than focusing on distant future visions, Matt shares what retailers and suppliers are seeing right now. Why health and wellness products are becoming more prominent, where EV expectations are running ahead of operational reality, and why payments and technology robustness remain critical foundations that too often get overlooked.
In this episode, we explore:
- What the Forecourt Show reveals about the current state of retail and supplier priorities
- The rise of health-focused convenience and why alcohol sales may be softening
- Why EV charging presence at industry events may be declining
- The economic and operational challenges of making EV charging work for forecourt operators
- How customer journey failures, authorisation issues, and unreliable tech damage trust
- Why payments and infrastructure robustness matter more than novelty in new services
- How longer EV dwell times are reshaping forecourt layouts, concessions, and customer expectations
- What unattended retail and age verification could unlock for 24/7 forecourt models
- Where retailers should focus now to avoid compounding complexity later
This conversation is grounded in today’s realities: pressure on margins, fragmented technology choices, and customers who only notice payments when something goes wrong. It highlights why simplifying foundations, choosing resilient partners, and designing for real customer behaviour matter more than chasing every trend.
If you work in forecourt retail, convenience, EV charging, or payments and are navigating shifting consumer demands alongside fragile infrastructure, this episode offers a practical view of what is changing, what is stalling, and where attention should be focused next.
What is AeviPod?
Hosted by Aevi, this podcast explores how in-person payments are evolving across retail, ISVs, banking, and fuel & mobility.
Each episode brings together industry leaders, product owners, and operators to challenge established thinking, share practical product updates, and unpack the biggest learnings and obstacles they’ve faced along the way.
From payment orchestration and estate management to emerging payment technologies, regulatory change, and new in-store use cases, the focus is on what’s actually working, and what’s slowing progress down.
The conversations cut through fragmentation and legacy constraints to examine how modern payment ecosystems are being built, scaled, and operated across regions. Expect honest perspectives on decision-making, execution, and the trade-offs enterprises face as they modernise in-person payments.