Spotlight 21
Euro Garages’ parent company EG Group has agreed a deal to acquire Asda’s petrol filling stations, car washes and ancillary land for £750m. The shareholders in EG Group, the Issa brothers and TDR Capital, made a deal to take over the Asda Group on 2nd October 2020.
EG’s acquisition of the forecourt business is subject to the same CMA regulatory clearance being received by the group’s shareholders for their acquisition of Asda. Subject to these approvals, the transaction is expected to close in the second quarter of 2021. If the deal is approved, EG Group would have around 700 forecourts in the UK, only behind MFG, with more than 900 sites.
When announcing the deal, EG Group said:
“A detailed integration plan will ensure a seamless transition into EG Group’s UK operations, which have successfully integrated four significant acquisitions since 2015. The forecourts, which will remain an integral part of the broader retail locations where they are situated, will continue to be Asda branded and will remain a price leader in the fuel market.”
Zuber Issa CBE and Mohsin Issa CBE, co-founders and co-CEOs of EG Group, in a joint statement, commented:
“We are excited to have the opportunity to further strengthen our network in the UK through the proposed acquisition of Asda’s forecourt business, which will enhance our position as a major independent forecourt operator and provide a platform for future growth of the combined network.”
Certas Energy has purchased seven forecourts in the North East of England as the company continues to grow its Gulf network across the UK. The portfolio of forecourts, with a combined volume of 31 million litres, was purchased from Marla and Gus Saggu.
“We are delighted to have concluded this acquisition of seven well-run forecourts and a highly capable and community-minded team of people,” enthuses Richard Billington, director, Certas Energy. “It’s a good fit for our business and adds further strength to our company-operation. We already have a strong Gulf presence in the North East and these sites will be an ideal complement to our thriving dealer operation.”
The sites will be rebranded to Gulf in March whilst simultaneously transforming each shop into the latest-design SPAR C-store.
“We are taking on a healthy business that will be further enhanced by our stunning new Gulf livery and award-winning loyalty platform, Oomph,” continues Richard. “Working alongside SPAR and with ongoing investment, we see huge potential at each location.”
Marla and Gus Saggu commented: “It feels like the end of an era but we are very pleased to be handing over the business and, in particular, our people to Certas Energy who, we are sure, will do great things with them.”
The seven newly acquired forecourts are located in Bishop Auckland, Crook, Howden-le-Wear, South Shields, Stockton, West Rainton and Witton Gilbert.
It is with great sadness that Fuel Oil News reports the passing of Anthony Hoctor (known to most as Terry), proprietor and founder of Speed Oil Services and former director of what was the Federation of Petroleum Suppliers (FPS).
Peter Turner
It is with great sadness that Fuel Oil News reports the passing of Peter Turner, former managing director of Rix Petroleum, on the evening of Friday 22nd January 2021
Motor Fuel Group (MFG) announces that it has signed an agreement to purchase seven operational stations and nine new to industry (NTI) sites from BP. This is part of a wider agreement including fuel supply for 100 sites.
Essar and Progressive Energy, developers of HyNet North West – the UK’s leading industrial decarbonisation cluster – have joined forces to set up a venture to produce low carbon hydrogen at Essar’s Stanlow Refinery in Cheshire, for use across the HyNet region. It will provide Essar Oil UK with low carbon hydrogen to decarbonise its own energy demand in addition to creating a hydrogen economy across North West England and North East Wales.
Natural gas and fuel gases from the refinery will be converted into low carbon hydrogen, with carbon dioxide safely captured and stored offshore in sub-surface reservoirs in Liverpool Bay. The hydrogen production hub will deliver clean energy to industry in the HyNet ‘low carbon cluster’, as well as to fuel buses, trains and heavy goods vehicles, to heat our homes, and to generate electricity when the sun is not shining or the wind blowing.
The UK’s first low carbon hydrogen hub will initially produce 3 terawatt-hours (TWh) of low carbon hydrogen each year from 2025. This will be quickly followed by a facility twice this size giving a total capacity of over 9TWh of hydrogen per annum, equivalent to the energy used for heating across the whole of Liverpool. A total investment of approximately £750m will be committed to deliver the two hydrogen production hubs. Follow on capacity growth is planned to reach 80% of the Government’s new target of 5GW of low carbon hydrogen for power, transport, industry and homes by 20301.
The project will use Johnson Matthey’s best in class Low Carbon Hydrogen (LCH™) technology. In partnership with SNC-Lavalin, engineering is well advanced with funding provided by the UK Government’s hydrogen supply competition.
Chris Manson-Whitton, director at Progressive Energy said:
“We cannot reach net zero without decarbonising industry. Today brings a key milestone in that journey as Progressive Energy and Essar Oil UK sign a Memorandum of Understanding setting out how we will work together to deliver this exciting project at Stanlow Refinery.
“Delivering net zero requires a transformation of our energy system. HyNet offers a once-in-a-generation opportunity to create real change in energy production and consumption, creating a cleaner world for future generations. It will unlock the low carbon hydrogen economy in the North West, reducing emissions and creating and safeguarding jobs.”
Stein Ivar Bye, CEO, Essar Oil UK, commented:
“Essar is committed to innovative growth as a means to create positive impact to both economy and environment. HyNet and hydrogen production is integral to Stanlow’s strategy and will set it on a journey to be the UK’s first net zero emission refinery with the ambition to avoid emissions of over 2 million tonnes of carbon dioxide to the atmosphere per year, the equivalent of taking nearly a million cars off the road.
“With the support from government to establish the appropriate business incentives, together with Progressive Energy, we are committed to undertaking the development and the financing of its construction.
“Hydrogen has a central role to play in our low carbon energy solution. We are demonstrating that the industry is committed to play its part of the UK’s transformational hydrogen strategy.”
Fuel retailer Usman Patel recently celebrated 40 years of selling Texaco branded fuel at his three service stations in Greater Manchester. Usman owns the Mabco Group sites: Caroline Service Station, Lancashire Hill Service Station and Reddish Service Station. All the sites are located within 10 miles of each other in Stockport and have supplied fuel under the Texaco brand since Usman first became a tenant in 1980.
North West and Yorkshire based fuel supplier Craggs Energy has recently expanded its group of companies with the acquisition of Devon based fuel distributor Moorland Fuels.
Holly Needham, granddaughter of Jim Callow, the founder of Stourport-based Callow Oils, celebrated her 21st birthday by giving back to a charity close to the heart of the family, Parkinson’s UK. The charity has been extremely helpful to Jim and his family over the years since he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease in 2012.
INEOS has completed the purchase of the global Aromatics and Acetyls businesses from BP for a consideration of $5 billion.
Already one of the world’s leading petrochemical companies this acquisition will extend both the portfolio and the geographic reach of INEOS. The businesses will be known as INEOS Acetyls and INEOS Aromatics.
INEOS Aromatics is a global leader in PTA (Purified Terephthalic Acid) and PX (Paraxylene) technology with 6 sites and supplies the global polyester business which includes polyester fibre, film and PET packaging.
INEOS Acetyls produces acetic acid and a range of derivatives from its 9 sites, supplying a wide range of downstream industries such as food, pharmaceuticals, paints, adhesives and packaging.
Sir Jim Ratcliffe, founder and chairman of INEOS adds:
“I am very pleased that we have been able to complete the acquisition, which is a logical development of our existing petrochemicals business extending our interest in acetyls and adding a world leading aromatics business supporting the global polyester industry.“
This new virtual challenge, Breakout for Ben – road to £1 million, follows on from Ben’s rallying cry last year asking industry leaders for urgent support, following a 50% increase in service demand against a £1m income shortfall. An incredible £530,000 has been pledged so far by automotive industry companies to help address Ben’s fundraising shortfall, however there is still some way to go to ensure Ben can be there for everyone who needs support.
Therefore, Breakout for Ben is the latest challenge to launch as part of the Do It 4 Ben fundraising programme, to help ensure no-one in automotive faces life’s toughest challenges alone. Originally an annual fundraising challenge for Ben by TrustFord, Breakout for Ben has now been opened up so the whole automotive industry can get involved and show their support, even during lockdown.
This year, Breakout for Ben will run from 5th – 14th February with socially-distanced teams of up to 10 covering 1,722 miles by exercising in their own way to fundraise for Ben. The event will see teams embark on a virtual journey visiting motor circuits across the UK, starting at Pembrey Circuit in north Wales and taking in all four home nations, before ending at Silverstone. Using an app, teams can track their progress together meaning they don’t need to be physically together with other team members during the challenge.
To find out more and sign up, visit: http://ben.org.uk/BreakoutForBen
Matt Wigginton, fundraising director at Ben, said: “Thanks to the incredible support of our industry, we are now on the road to raising £1m to help people in our industry when they need it most. This said, we still urgently need your help as we’re not there yet.
“Twice as many people are turning to Ben for mental health support and we don’t want to be forced to make tough decisions about who we can and can’t support. Automotive people need us now more than ever, as this period of unprecedented challenges continues. The issues people are facing now are more urgent and complex than ever.
“This is why we’re launching Breakout for Ben – road to £1 million. It’s a fun virtual challenge that anyone and everyone can get involved in!”
Essar Oil (UK) Limited, which owns and operates the Stanlow Manufacturing Complex, announces the further strengthening of its executive leadership team with the appointment of Stephen McCaffrey as chief financial officer.
Stephen is highly experienced in the Oil and Gas, Renewables and Infrastructure sectors and has specialist expertise in financial control, business development, strategic planning and working capital and project finance management and implementation. Having spent 13 years at Greenergy, the last four as chief financial officer, he has a detailed understanding of the UK downstream industry.
Most recently CFO at Avenir LNG Limited, he has also previously held roles with the BOC Group, Merrill Lynch and PWC. He holds a degree in business (accounting and finance) and is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Australia.
Essar chief executive officer, Stein Bye, said: “This is an important and strategic appointment for the company, with Stephen bringing with him a wealth of experience at the very highest level. The year ahead will be key to our long term sustainability as we look to recover from the effects of Covid-19 and transform our business to meet the demands of a low carbon economy and deliver the energy solutions of the future for the UK.”
Bristol-based fleet management company, Silvey Fleet, has been awarded the ‘We Invest in People’ Gold accreditation. Having applied after the first lockdown, with most employees working from home because of the pandemic, it is a remarkable achievement which is made even more so by the fact that only 17% of organisations achieve Gold status.
Providing Excellent Customer Service
Silvey Fleet is one of the UK’s top fleet management solution providers and an integral part of the company’s commitment to delivering the highest quality customer service is investing in its people and their development. The company believes that happy and motivated employees are essential to drive business forward.
In its feedback, Investors in People reported: “You have provided effective people management and development in order to achieve high levels of engagement, trust and transparency, which has in turn delivered higher levels of performance overall and enabled you to drive your vision and mission forward.”
Silvey Fleet’s managing director, Miriam James, commented:
“We offer our staff a selection of development programmes, regular one-to-ones, leadership coaching, rewards and benefits, which has resulted in them declaring Silvey Fleet “a great place to work”. It was felt our response to the COVID-19 pandemic served to raise morale during a challenging time for both our people and the business.”
Growing and Evolving
“There is a strong culture of continuous improvement at Silvey Fleet – as a service provider, we are constantly seeking to improve the ways we work with, and what we deliver to, our customers. Change is viewed as ‘the norm’, allowing the business to grow and continue to develop the fleet management solutions we offer.
“The Investors in People report shows evidence of our people working together to develop ideas that have positive outcomes for the business. This includes the updates to our Miles Monitor fleet management app.
One survey respondent commented: “Participation and collaboration are viewed as embedded practices at Silvey Fleet. We all work together and can challenge the status quo. This enables individuals and teams to make decisions that will benefit the organization and the customers we serve.”
Investing in a better future
Looking ahead Miriam continued:
“Only 17% of organisations ever achieve the Gold status so we are thrilled that our surveyed staff recognise the investment we make in our people and feel that Silvey Fleet is “the best place they have ever worked”. In the coming months, we are committed to responding to those areas identified as providing opportunity for further improvement and supporting the development of our people and their careers, involving them in key decisions and rewarding them for the excellent work they do. We are also dedicated to acting on their feedback.
“Investors in People believes that the success of an organisation begins and ends with people. We firmly share this belief and it is encouraging to hear how supported our people feel, especially as we have embarked on this journey in the midst of a pandemic.
This accreditation is just the beginning and we are both excited and dedicated to the further development of all areas of our business, making Silvey Fleet a great place to work for our people and the supplier of choice for the many businesses we support. We know that putting our people first and living our core values will build an even better business for 2021 and beyond and we are proud to join the investors in people community of 15,000 organisations across 75 countries. to make work better!”
A busy year at FAST culminated in two of its staff being recognised in The Manufacturer magazine’s Top 100 awards. The ceremony was, unusually, held by video this year but this did not detract from the pride the company felt at seeing two key members of the team recognised for their individual contributions.
Automotive charity, Ben, received pledges worth around £0.5m following its recent rallying cry to industry leaders.
Companies got creative with ideas such as donating Christmas party funds, ‘Charity of the month’ schemes and donations linked to survey responses or sales/profit to help address the £1m shortfall they faced due to the cancelation of their annual fundraising ball.
Automotive companies are pledging to do three things for Ben:
Top 50 Indies forecourt operator, Motor Fuel Group (MFG) has acquired six forecourts in the Lake District from AUK Investments Limited.
Energy industry professional Ken Cronin is to become the new chief executive of UKIFDA replacing current CEO Guy Pulham who leaves on February 4th 2021.
Renee Semiz will assume the position of managing director, UK marketing, Phillips 66 Limited in January 2021. Renee relocates to the UK from Phillips 66’s Houston office in the USA and takes over from Mary Wolf who, following a smooth transition period, will relocate to the Houston office and assume the role of general manager, global specialties.
Having joined the business in 1998, Renee has an extensive and diverse background across refining, process engineering, commercial commodities, optimisation and marketing. She has held various roles in Phillips 66, most recently as manager, brand U.S. marketing. In this role she was responsible for leading the rebranding of service stations, advertising and programs for Phillips 66’s large network in the United States. Renee has also spent time working internationally in China, India, Turkey, Lithuania and Germany in her early career.
Mary Wolf, currently managing director UK marketing at Phillips 66 Limited, comments:
“I’d like to take this opportunity to welcome Renee to the UK marketing family. She brings a great deal of experience and enthusiasm to the team, and I’m sure she will lead the business to new heights. We have a great UK team and incredible, wonderful customers that it has been my privilege to serve. I would like to sincerely and deeply thank everyone for their business and friendship over the last five years. I will dearly miss you all.”
Renee Semiz, currently manager, brand U.S. marketing:
“I am looking forward to joining the UK business and building on the strong working relationships that Mary established with our customers. Mary and her team have done a fantastic job transforming the UK business and I’m looking forward to continuing our strategic initiatives. I wish Mary continued successes as she transitions into her new role in Houston.”
North Yorkshire-based Kettlewell Fuels has added two new tankers and a ‘Tank in a Van’ to its fleet, creating greater capacity and even more flexibility when it comes to delivering across the region – even the remotest parts.
Based in Ripon, Kettlewell Fuels has taken delivery of two DAF four-wheel tankers that have been specified to meet the company’s requirements. Both tankers have a larger capacity and are able to take 9,300 litres compared with the company’s other four-wheelers.
The new tankers also have a much more efficient pumping system, making the whole delivery process even smoother.
Always looking to develop the business, Janet Kettlewell explains:
“The two new DAF tankers will deliver market-leading efficiency for us as a business, giving us even more flexibility within our already versatile fleet.
“We also like to ensure our drivers are looked after in terms of comfort. I’m pleased to say we’ve had some great feedback from them – apparently the new tankers are comfortable and nice to drive too.
Commenting on the other addition to the fleet, Janet says:
“It’s important to us that we offer an agile customer service and to help us do this we’ve adapted a vehicle to hold a 400-litre oil dispensing tank. Known as our ‘Tank in a Van’, this vehicle will enable us to make small emergency deliveries and quickly respond to customers in need.
“We’re now in a very good position going into winter, as our expanded fleet will provide us with greater delivery capacity. We’ve noticed recently that more customers are choosing to support local businesses; it’s been a busy time. Our larger fleet will definitely help when the inevitable cold snap arrives.”
Kettlewell Fuels is North Yorkshire’s trusted independent fuel oil supplier to the domestic, agricultural and commercial sectors and is a member of the UK & Ireland Fuel Distributors Association (UKIFDA).
Holly Needham, granddaughter of Jim Callow, founder of Stourport-based Callow Oils, has decided to celebrate her 21st birthday by giving back to Parkinson’s UK, a charity which is very close to the heart of the family.
Christmas has arrived a month early for Hope House children’s hospices thanks to a £2,000 donation from two Shropshire businesses.
Ben, the charity dedicated to supporting the people of the automotive industry, is making an urgent ‘rallying cry’ in a letter to industry leaders as it faces a 50% increase in demand for services against a £1m income shortfall, following the cancellation of fundraising events including Ben Ball. Without additional funding, Ben may be forced to make difficult decisions about which cases to support.
The shortlist for this year’s prestigious OGUK Awards has been revealed today. The annual awards ceremony celebrates the brightest and best talent from across the country’s offshore oil and gas industry and finalists represent the hard work, innovation, and collaboration the industry has adopted throughout 2020.
Employees at Essar Stanlow have been able to make a valuable difference to a cause close to their hearts, thanks to the company’s Let’s Give programme.
The initiative links safety achievements and charitable giving, with donations made to local charities nominated by employees. A £3,000 donation to The Hospice of the Good Shepherd came after Essar recently recorded two million working hours without a Lost Time Injury.
For over thirty years, the Hospice in Backford has delivered end of life care to patients living with life limiting conditions. It provides a 10 bedded in-patient unit, a Living Well Centre that offers day support to help patients maintain their independence and stay at home longer, as well as bereavement support across its catchment area. In the last year, almost 1,000 families have benefited from the combined services of both the Hospice and the bereavement team.
Essar production specialist, Andy Taft, explained;
“When my mother was dying of cancer, the Hospice gave my father and I respite by taking my mum in for a break. Fortunately, this was short term and we cared for my mum at home until she sadly passed away. Whilst this was a difficult time, it was made easier by the support and care from the Hospice. Since then, I lost my father and I cared for him at home, but always knew the Hospice was there if needed.”
Paul Wilcox, inspection team leader, who also nominated the charity, added;
“Many colleagues at the refinery and their families have benefited from the care and support the Hospice offers and it is great that we are able to collectively thank them, especially during these difficult times, for the incredible work and services provided to so many local families.”
Justin Caroe, community & events manager for the Hospice, commented;
“We are delighted to receive this generous donation from Essar, which will make a huge difference in allowing the Hospice to continue providing vital services to the community. We continue to source and raise funds on a daily basis to allow our Hospice to remain open, and whether its company or individual funding every penny is a step closer to a more sustainable future for us.”
The Hospice is currently facing an unprecedented financial crisis due to the impact of the Coronavirus pandemic and could run out of money in a matter of months. Not part of the NHS, the Hospice receives only 25% of its income from government funding, meaning it has to raise just over £3 million each year from donations, fundraising events and its charity shops, which have all been severely affected.
It is anticipated there will be at least a £1.1 million shortfall in fundraising for this year, so the Hospice continues to collect funds through its #SupportYourHospice appeal JustGiving page. You can donate to the Hospice via: www.justgiving.com/campaign/saveyourhospice or by calling 01244 851811.