'Dealers are at the mercy of the fuel companies as to whether they want you or not, and it was important to feel that our future supplier has a long-term commitment to petrol retailing in the UK. 'It’s been quite pleasing to see GB Oils take shape,' says Andrew. It was a concern because we didn’t know where we were going to go.'Īfter speaking to every oil company and getting offers from most including BP, Texaco and Harvest Energy as well as considering the unbranded option, Andrew and Diane chose to stick with the subsequent new owners of Total’s distribution assets and signed to the Gulf brand. 'There were so many rumours about who was going to buy Total the Russians, the Chinese. 'There’s been a bit of uncertainty for two years,' says Andrew. They had happily traded with Total for 10 years until the oil company announced it was selling up. Reaching the church in the nick of time and, days later, undergoing a forecourt rebrand, marked the end of an unsettled couple of years for Andrew and Diane. It was undoubtedly one of the busiest weekends of their lives their daughter’s big day, the Diamond Jubilee, and their last weekend as Total dealers. That’s what happened to Andrew and Diane Hindmarch, who run Hindmarch Garage in Stamford, Lincolnshire. A forecourt business waits for no one even if a late fuel delivery is threatening to hold the owner up for their daughter’s wedding.

The Bones by Will Hindmarch