The Fragmented Forecourt: Episode 3 – Live from The Forecourt Show: EV promise meets forecourt reality

Under the Stack: Episode 3 - Testing payments where it actually breaks

In‑person payments don’t fail in a boardroom. They fail at the checkout, when the queue is building, the customer is waiting, and the pressure is very real. And yet, one of the most critical parts of the payment stack, testing, is often overlooked or treated as an afterthought. In this episode of Under the Stack, David Frank, Head of Sales at PaytestLab joins Victor Padee, CRO at Aevi, to unpack the hidden complexity of payment testing. From fragmented hardware setups and multiple integration types to the growing number of payment methods and regional variations, they explore why testing is far more than just “running a transaction”, and why getting it wrong has real business consequences. Drawing on real retailer scenarios and hands‑on experience, they break down what effective testing actually looks like in modern in‑person environments. From the limitations of manual testing and the risks of relying on simulators, to the role of automation in scaling quality and speeding up release cycles, this conversation gets into the realities teams face behind the scenes. They also explore the true cost of downtime, the operational drag of outdated testing processes, and why automation is quickly becoming a baseline, not a bonus. This episode breaks down: * Why payment testing is far more complex than it looks * The difference between standalone, semi‑integrated, and fully integrated environments * Why manual testing doesn’t scale (and where it still matters) * The risks of relying on simulators instead of real‑world environments * How automation enables faster, safer release cycles * The hidden cost of downtime, and what poor testing really impacts * How to define your testing scope before investing in tools or frameworks If you are navigating in‑person payments, managing payment infrastructure, or trying to deliver reliable checkout experiences at scale, this episode is a must‑listen.

The Fragmented Forecourt: Episode 4 – Live from The Forecourt Show: Local agility meets global control

The Fragmented Forecourt: Episode 4 – Live from The Forecourt Show: Local agility meets global control Forecourts across Europe are evolving in very different ways. While UK conversations often centre on merchandise, convenience, and site-level optimisation, markets like Germany and the Netherlands reveal a more complex picture shaped by regulation, fleet payments, data, and the growing distance between fuel brands and day-to-day operations. Recorded at the Forecourt Show, this episode brings together Ghermaine Henry from Aevi and industry perspectives shaped by deep experience across European fuel markets to explore what UK operators could learn from what is happening elsewhere. From brand divestment and the rise of group operators, to vendor lock-in, fragmented fleet payments, and growing fraud concerns, the discussion looks at how operational reality is diverging from traditional fuel retail models. Rather than focusing on innovation for its own sake, the conversation centres on where value is actually being created. Why large brands are investing where revenue already exists, why EV investment is being approached more cautiously, and how digital payments, data, and customer engagement are becoming more important than physical infrastructure alone. In this episode, we explore: * How forecourt priorities differ across the UK, Germany, and the Netherlands * Why large fuel brands are divesting from site operations and relying more on regional operators * The growing challenge of vendor lock-in and the cost of inflexible payment landscapes * Why fleet payments, data visibility, and roaming matter more in European markets * The rise in skimming and fraud risk and the need for real-time and post-transaction screening * How fragmented payment ecosystems increase operational friction for operators and customers * Why EV investment is not always a revenue driver for major brands * The shift toward digital payments, mobile access, and data-driven customer engagement * What fuel and payments professionals can learn from retail’s focus on engagement and relevance * Why customer experience, adaptability, and support now matter as much as hardware stability This conversation is grounded in the practical realities of modern fuel retail: layered ownership models, slow escalation paths, disconnected stakeholders, and technology that often remains unchanged for years. It highlights why visibility, control, and local agility are becoming just as important as global consistency. If you work in fuel retail, fleet, payments, or mobility and are navigating fragmented ecosystems, diverging regional demands, or the challenge of staying relevant to changing customer expectations, this episode offers a pragmatic perspective on where forecourts are heading and what needs to change to get there.

The Fragmented Forecourt: Episode 3 – Live from The Forecourt Show: EV promise meets forecourt reality

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.

The Fragmented Forecourt: Episode 2 - From Petrol Stations To Mobility Hubs

The Fragmented Forecourt: From Petrol Stations To Mobility Hubs Fuel and convenience forecourts have quietly become some of the most complex retail environments in the UK. Multiple ownership models, legacy pump technology, growing convenience offers, EV infrastructure, and an expanding mix of attended and unattended payments have created an estate held together by workarounds rather than design. In this episode of The Fragmented Forecourt, Matt Oldham from Attenda joins Ghermaine Henry from Aevi to unpack why fragmentation is not a failure of operators, but the natural outcome of decades of layered decisions and competing priorities. Together, they explore how forecourts have evolved from simple fuel stops into convenience destinations and emerging mobility hubs, and why payments sit at the center of making that shift work for both operators and customers. In this episode, we explore: * Why forecourts are fragmented by design, from ownership models to on-site concessions and legacy POS * How adding EV charging, food, car wash, and unattended services increases complexity behind the scenes * Why customers do not care about payments until something breaks and what that means for experience design * The operational and cost challenges of running multiple payment solutions across one site * Why standardizing payments across fuel, retail, and unattended services is a critical first step * How EV dwell time changes the economics and purpose of the forecourt * The growing importance of customer understanding and data in environments where ownership is shared * What the future forecourt could look like as sites evolve into local mobility and retail hubs Rather than chasing a perfect future state, this conversation focuses on practical realities. How operators can simplify what they already have, reduce friction across payments, and create a foundation that supports whatever comes next, whether that is EV growth, new services, or entirely new forms of mobility. If you work in fuel retail, convenience, mobility, or payments and are grappling with legacy systems, fragmented estates, or the challenge of modernizing without disruption, this episode offers a grounded perspective on where to start and what really matters.

Under the Stack: Episode 2 - The Frankenstack - Retail's silent growth killer

Retailers keep chasing best of breed tools, but every new integration adds complexity, slows teams down, and chips away at value. The result is a brittle, tangled Frankenstack that nobody truly owns and everyone struggles to maintain. In this episode of Under the Stack, Leni Hakvoort, Head of Product at New Black, and Victor Padee, CRO at Aevi, unpack why retail tech becomes so fragmented, why change is so hard to drive internally, and what actually happens when retailers delay modernization for too long. Drawing on real retail scenarios and years of hands‑on product leadership, they break down the hidden cost of fragmentation, from siloed decision making and outdated loyalty systems to the operational drag of “just enough to keep it running.” They explore how disconnected systems erode customer trust, stall unified commerce, and make it nearly impossible to deliver the experiences shoppers now expect as standard. This episode breaks down: * Why best of breed decisions often create the Frankenstack retailers fear * How feature‑based vendor selection leads to brittle, over‑integrated environments * Why organizational silos slow down modernization and block long term strategy * Why unified commerce is no longer a differentiator but a minimum expectation * How loyalty programs fail when they are generic, slow, and disconnected * What retailers really risk when they delay architectural change If you are navigating unified commerce, tech modernization, customer loyalty, or the complexity of retail transformation, this episode is a must‑listen.