Family-owned fuel company Rix Petroleum has expanded its UK depot network into North West England and Wales for the first time in its 140-year history. Parent company J.R. Rix & Sons Ltd completed an acquisition of Wynnstay Fuels Ltd, which has depots in Waverton in Chester, and Pwllheli in North Wales, last Thursday.
The deal, which was for an undisclosed sum, brings Rix Petroleum’s national network to 14 depots, ranging from Aberdeen in the north to Essex in the south, and from Hull in the east across to Pwllheli.
It means the company, which is headquartered in Hull, has depots in all the regions of England and Scotland, as well as one in Wales, for the first time. J.R. Rix & Sons purchased the business from owners Wynnstay PLC and Jeff Kendrick. Majority shareholder Mr Kendrick, who had successfully run the business for many decades, said: “The time has finally come for me to retire but I am delighted to be selling to family-owned business Rix.
“I can see that Rix genuinely care about their customers and staff and I have no doubt that they will look after the customers and staff of Wynnstay.” Rory Clarke, managing director of J.R Rix & Sons, said the Wynnstay business was a valuable addition to the company’s network. He said: “There is a lot of synergy between Wynnstay Fuels and Rix Petroleum in terms of values and commitment to customer service, so when we heard Jeff was planning to retire it made sense for us to look to acquire the business.
“From a location point of view, this acquisition gives us a much stronger foothold in North West England and Wales, so we’re delighted we were able to agree a deal and take over the reins from Jeff.” Ruairidh Beath, regional director for Rix Petroleum, added: “We already sell fuel to customers in Wales through our local business Rix Petroleum (Mercia) Ltd which is based in Market Drayton. We welcome this opportunity to increase our customer base in the area.”
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