Confident Crown Group Heading to £200M

Matthew Greensmith, managing director at the Bury based Crown Group, is a happy man.  The group achieved a record £157 million turnover in 2012 and is on target to break through the £200 million ceiling when it reaches its accounting year end in August, putting it in the premier league of North West high growth companies.

“What is encouraging is that the growth has been mostly organic,” Matt explained.  “We did acquire the brand and key intellectual property of the Burnley fuel and lubricant distributor Samuel Cooke & Co. last year, but this has been just one element in the picture.  All our divisions are performing well and this is a tribute to our staff and the service ethic that drives the business.  We are really a service business that just happens to sell oil.” 

The growth has been good for jobs.  Since January the company has taken on 50 new staff, bringing the team total to more than 200.  “We are lucky that we don’t have a large staff turnover.  Many of our people have been with us for 10 years and more, but overall the team is still youthful.  We are always happy to consider CV’s from people who have a positive attitude and can contribute, particularly in sales, administration and customer support,” said Matt.

The core business is still the sale of heating fuels to businesses and households.  Around this the company has added business units selling road fuels, industrial lubricants, mains gas, multi-utility connection services and voice and data telecommunications. 

Crown also has a strong environmental focus, carbon offsetting all delivery mileage and offering offset and sustainable alternatives to customers.  Most recently the company has established an environmental division that specialises in the recovery and reprocessing of surplus liquid fuels.  This division is close to completion of an £11.5 million contract to recover and reprocess 24 million litres of fuel oil for a major energy utility company.

The company is expanding from its North West base.  In 2011 a new depot was opened in Doncaster to serve customers east of the Pennines.  In early 2012 the first southern depot opened in Iver to service west London.  Operating under the Speedy Fuels and Lubricants brand, this has now been followed by a further operation in east London.  “This is already profitable, so we plan to expand coverage still further via our own depots and a network of other independent fuel distributors allowing us to give complete nationwide service,” Matt concluded.  
 

More Information
Mark Andrews, Director, Crown Oil
Tel. 0845 313 0845 Fax. 0161 762 7685
E-mail: mark@crownoil.co.uk Web: www.crownoil.com
Crown Oil, The Oil Centre, Bury New Road, Heap Bridge, Bury, Lancashire, BL9 7HY

Images are on the web at www.ainsmag.co.uk/cr247/5175cr1a-crown-tops-200m.htm

July 31, 2013