A kind and gentle man, Roy was also a highly competent and respected businessman who continued to work right until the end.
Strong foundations
Roy first started selling kerosene door-to-door to bolster his earnings whilst studying for an electrical engineering apprenticeship. He decided to quit the apprenticeship and concentrate on selling oil full time and started his first company Kerindus. The business operated from an office above a petrol station in Lewisham and the two second-hand tankers he acquired were based nearby in Rotherhithe.
Roy worked extremely hard to establish the business, calling on customers as well as delivering the fuel in tankers. The business expanded, with the acquisition of Swedish Wharf in Fulham in the early 1970s, and was renamed Fuel Oils as it continued to grow.
Roy expanded the business further, purchasing fuel depots in Canterbury and Hoo to serve the Kent area, and the business soon established a reputation for quick and reliable deliveries, an attribute still standing to this day. In 2004 Roy completed a successful acquisition, integrating Erith-based Chapter Oils, and this became the new centre of operations.
Over the years the business has continued to strengthen and build on these strong foundations. Serving London and the South East with a 40-vehicle fleet, Fuel Oils celebrated its 60th anniversary this year and now has tankers based in Essex and West London. Fuel Oils is one of the few remaining fully independent, family run distributors dedicated to continuing the good work that Roy started all those years ago.
Roy’s wife Barbara and children Sarah and Stuart will continue his legacy and remain actively involved supporting the whole business.
A hard-working distributor, with a deep commitment to the communities he served, Roy will be missed by all those who knew him, and our thoughts are with his colleagues, friends and family at this time.
