In a multimillion-euro deal, Canadian Irving Oil, which owns the Whitegate refinery in Cork, has acquired Top Oil (formerly Tedcastles Oil Products), the brand owned by the Dublin-based Tedcastle Group. Approval is now being sought from the Competition and Consumer Protection Commission. “This is a very significant day for the extended family and our business in Ireland,” said Tedcastle Holdings deputy chairman Raymond Reihill. Top Oil, which has a 200-year trading history and sells over a billion litres of fuel every year to commercial and residential customers, also operates from 20 fuel depots, owns a terminal at Dublin Port and has over 200 service stations.  Parent company Tedcastle Holdings had a €1.1 billion turnover in 2017 and employs over 400 people. Gerard Boylan, CEO, Top Oil said: “We are looking forward to joining Irving Oil and continuing to grow and develop our business under its umbrella. We share a common commitment to our employees, customers and the wider community.” Irving Oil has stated that the Top Oil brand will be retained and there will be no job losses. “We’re excited about this opportunity to grow our business in Ireland and work with the Top Oil team,” said Ian Whitcomb, president of Irving Oil. “We have worked hard to build strong customer relationships and establish meaningful community partnerships in Ireland and are delighted to continue to grow our business in this area. It’s a natural fit for us.”

Pictured beside the WP Group’s newest tanker – Dan Hedges, Melanie Noel and Terry Brown – on the Magyar stand at FPS EXPO 2018 When the Southampton-based WP Group launched a new lubricants division, 13 jobs were created at the company’s depots in Aberdeen, Wakefield and Gravesend, requiring an additional 9 drivers and four operational staff. To lead their recruitment campaign, WP Group turned to dh Logistics Appointments, a division of Driver Hire Nationwide which supplies staff to the transport and logistics industry. “We needed a recruitment partner that understood our business and the markets in which we operate,” explained operations manager, Dan Hedges. “On this project we chose to deal with dh Logistics Appointments and, in particular, senior business manager, Jason Crispin. “When discussing candidates, I welcomed his openness, admired his honesty and trusted his recommendations. “With positions advertised on a wide variety of national online jobs boards, the campaign attracted hundreds of responses which were then narrowed down to 50 interview ready candidates. “All the candidates were of high quality and well-prepared. Jason kept everyone well-informed throughout the process and, when we needed to change priorities, he was agile enough to pivot at a moment’s notice,” added Dan. “Using an industry specialist recruitment company saves a lot of time and trouble,” said Jason. “It’s particularly important when narrowing down applicants to a premium list which most closely matches the client’s brief. Utilising the UK’s leading job boards, CV databases and social media we can access both active and passive candidates to ensure vacancies are exposed to the broadest audience possible.” “With dh Logistics Appointments we found the people needed to get our new lubricants division up and running, and, having been a real asset to our organisation, has encouraged us to use the company again,” added Dan.

Mabanaft has just announced the results of its most recent customer survey. A full report will be published in the September issue of Fuel Oil News.   Mabanaft Limited has 60 years’ experience trading in the UK and is one of the country’s largest independent wholesalers. With a network of independently operated fuel terminals located throughout the country the company is uniquely positioned to supply fuel to the UK market. Look out for more news from Mabanaft in the October 2018 issue of Fuel Oil News.

Tim Doggett, director of Clugston Distribution – see the August issue of Fuel Oil News for top 10 fuel logistics companies (page 17) Clugston Distribution has increased turnover to £17m for the 2017-18 financial year.  Since the earlier appointment of Tim Doggett as distribution director, the business has secured several long-term contracts with new and existing customers during the year. Continued investment of £1m in the commercial vehicle fleet enabled the business to grow its bulk food business by over 25% during the financial year, whilst investment in apprenticeship schemes also ensured the business continued to produce highly-skilled, factory-trained vehicle technicians and fitters, enabling the expansion of its vehicle maintenance and testing services. The recent introduction of a global freight forwarding offering will also increase flexibility and enable the business to grow. “Despite challenging markets, we have delivered another strong financial performance, with a substantial growth in turnover and improved efficiencies,” said Tim Doggett.

Road safety professionals and employers working in the downstream oil industry and allied industries can now register for Road Safety Week 2018 (19-25 November 2018) at www.roadsafetyweek.org.uk/professionals. Road Safety Week is the UK’s biggest annual road safety event which aims to inspire companies, communities and schools to take action on road safety and promote life-saving messages during the Week and beyond. Coordinated by charity Brake, the Week is a great opportunity to engage schools, companies and communities with road safety by using free resources (available from September) on this year’s Bike Smart theme. If your company is taking part in the Week, do please share your plans with Fuel Oil News! www.roadsafetyweek.org.uk @Brakecharity – #RoadSafetyWeek #BikeSmart Facebook.com/brakecharity