The independent fuel distributor has become a member of Fleet Cards Europe, the United Kingdom Lubricants Association (UKLA), the Tank Storage Association and the Petrol Retailers Association.
Watson Fuels says the move is intended to strengthen its understanding of developments across the markets in which it operates, while also giving the business greater opportunity to contribute its own operational experience and customer insight.
The new memberships span several core business areas and Watson Fuels aims to learn from wider industry experts and to share almost 70 years of operational experience and customer insight. Fleet Cards Europe represents a significant share of business fuel purchases made using fleet cards across Europe, while UKLA represents the lubricants sector. The Tank Storage Association represents operators across 294 terminals and the Petrol Retailers Association represents independent retailers responsible for around 65% of UK forecourts.
Alongside the new memberships, Watson Fuels has also renewed FORS Bronze accreditation across all of its UK sites. Five sites — Northampton, Diss, West London, East London and Birmingham — have additionally achieved FORS Silver, meeting the standards required by customers under specific contractual arrangements.
An ear to the ground
Matthew Whitton, CEO of Watson Fuels and Vice President of UKIFDA, said: “For the last twelve months we have been putting the foundations in place for Watson Fuels, and now our focus is on becoming the most trusted and responsive fuel partner in the UK, and that means making sure we have an ear to the ground across all of our markets.
“Joining these organisations gives us the opportunity to stay close to the conversations shaping our industry, learn from others and share our own experience. We want to be an active participant in the wider industry, and building these relationships is an important part of that.
“Our renewed FORS accreditation across our network is also an important demonstration of the standards we continue to uphold across our operations.”
Operating in the UK since 1957, Watson Fuels has 39 regional depots across England, Wales and Scotland and delivers around one billion litres of fuel annually across domestic, agricultural, commercial and transport markets.
Image provided by Watson Fuels