Industry Update is pleased to announce GripHero as our chosen Hygiene Product Company of the Month. Revolutionising the way we operate forecourt fuel pumps for the good, GripHero are shaking things up for the better.
Here’s an interesting, and rather worrying, statistic: fuel pumps are 11,000 times dirtier than toilet seats, and I’d be willing to bet that the majority of people didn’t know that. Here’s another: 82% of drivers struggle to find forecourt hand protection. These statistics are indeed worrying, and they expose a problem desperate for a solution.
The solution has in fact arrived, and it’s come in the form of GripHero, the Devon based company set to revolutionise hygiene procedures at fuel forecourts for good. I spoke to the GripHero team and this is what Managing Director, Oli Yeo, said GripHero is all about. “At GripHero, we have invented and patented a fuel nozzle mounted hand protection dispenser, dispensing the world’s first ever ATEX-Certified, Anti-Static hand-protection. It is also eco-friendly with a recyclable version currently on the market and an Oxo-Biodegradable and a Compostable variant to be released shortly. Our role is the design, manufacture, sale and distribution of the dispensers themselves as well as the refill rolls of hand protection that they use. We also offer highly visible GripHero recycling bins, at a reduced cost to the rest of the market, to help encourage closure of the loop on recycling plastics.”
There are numerous factors which render GripHero such an innovative and exciting product; firstly, there’s the fact that GripHero dispenses hand-protection bags on the actual fuel pump itself, reducing the need to wander around the forecourt looking for hard to find hygiene solutions. Secondly, the actual hand-protection itself is extremely innovative, incorporating many impressive safety features. Currently, GripHero’s hand-protection is 100% recyclable and ATEX-Certified, Anti-Static. Couple this with the easily visible and accessible recycling bins offered at a cut-price, GripHero’s commitment to being an ethically driven, socially and environmentally responsible company becomes even clearer. This vision continues with the imminent release of the Oxo-Biodegradable and Compostable variants in the coming months.
Moreover, as Oli Yeo explains, whilst the hand-protection itself is environmentally friendly; the solution also dramatically reduces waste. “The dispensers only discharge one unit at a time which reduces unnecessary waste from conventional dispensers that often give multiple gloves at a time which are subsequently discarded in waste bins or worse, blown around by wind and cause litter which damages the environment.” Innovation is the specialisation of this company, with the brains behind GripHero having sought to redefine many features of the fuel pump, “The dispensers contain marketing space and are made from reinforced materials making them impact resistant and almost impossible to break as we have demonstrated with our 15ft drop test.”
What truly sets GripHero apart from the competition is simple. No one is doing what GripHero is doing. There are of course hygiene solutions offered at forecourts, but from forecourt to forecourt hygiene solutions are desperately inconsistent and are few and far between. Sales and Marketing Manager, Luke Jenkins, explains, “GripHero is unique in the market place for the benefits we offer. Whilst other disposable hand protection exists for forecourts, ours is the only ATEX-Certified Anti-Static variant (a world 1st), they are fully recyclable with Oxo-Biodegradable and Compostable alternatives soon to be released to the market. Our patented dispensers set out to standardise the provision of forecourt hand protection by positioning it on each and every fuel nozzle meaning the hand protection is exactly where you need it and always in the same place, whichever forecourt you visit. With dispensers on each nozzle, forecourt hand-protection capacity is dramatically increased, reducing the risk of empty dispensers and the public not finding the hand-protection they need.”
Whilst the benefits to the user of GripHero are numerous, there are, too, a great many benefits extended to the forecourt owner. Margins on the sale of fuel are slight, with the success of the adjoining shop or café often being pivotal in the success of the business. Now think about this: would a customer be more willing to use your facilities, purchase products from your shop, and use your forecourt if they had the peace of mind coming from having completely clean hands? Research commissioned by GripHero reveals the answer to this question as an astounding yes.
In fact, 76% of those questioned would prefer a forecourt with hand-protection, whilst 41% would travel a further two miles to use a forecourt with hand-protection. Interestingly, 25% would be willing to pay up to 1 penny extra per litre of fuel if the forecourt provided hand protection. The statistics speak for themselves.
It is highly unlikely that customers use a forecourt solely based on the price factor; there are a great many factors involved in this decision. Employing the use of GripHero could well be the difference between a customer choosing one forecourt over the other.
Whilst the benefits to the forecourt owner are numerous and could easily increase profit margins and customer satisfaction, the true and most important benefit gained from using GripHero is to the user and the safety and hygiene offered by using GripHero. Whilst improving business is of course an ideal benefit, the safety of customers is of paramount importance. Research shows that 70% of handles carry germs which could pose a significant health risk to the customer. 50% of those germs are known as Gram-positive Cocci which are known to threaten skin conditions, toxic shock and even cause illnesses such as pneumonia and other infections resistant to anti-biotics.
Further to that, petrol is known to contain up to 1% benzene, an extremely dangerous carcinogenic chemical known to cause cancer. The International Agency for Research on Cancer has classified benzene as a group one carcinogen, the highest group. Benzene can be ingested into the body through the skin and through ingestion as well as inhalation, posing serious health risks to the user of forecourts. The importance of providing a safe and hygienic solution to this problem cannot be overstated.
T +44 (0)1837 811035
www.griphero.com