Rix Petroleum acquires Gainsborough-based fuel supplier

Fuel supplier Rix Petroleum has extended its coverage in the East Midlands with the acquisition of a Lincolnshire business.

The Yorkshire company has bought Gainsborough-based K9 Fuels for an undisclosed sum.

The move extends Rix Petroleum’s coverage in Lincoln, Market Rasen, Gainsborough, Horncastle, Louth, Spilsby and Retford, and enables the business to push into Worksop, Newark and Nottinghamshire for the first time.

It brings to three the number of Rix depots across Lincolnshire, adding to existing operations in Immingham and Spalding.

Duncan Lambert, managing director of Rix Petroleum, paid tribute to former owners Ken and Ann Shingdia who sold the business after deciding to retire.

Ken and Ann owned K9 Fuels for 10 years and have developed it into a thriving business with a loyal customer base.

Mr Lambert said: “K9 Fuels is a fantastic business run very much along the same lines as Rix Petroleum. We are both family firms with a deep-rooted commitment to dependable and friendly customer service.

“When we heard Ken and Ann had decided to retire, we immediately expressed an interest in the business because it sits between our other Lincolnshire operations in Immingham and Spalding, meaning we have extended our coverage of the region to include mid-Lincolnshire and west into Nottinghamshire.”

Under the deal, all the staff at K9 Fuels will continue to work at the business.

The move also creates two new jobs, including business manager role, which will be filled by Steve Ella, and a new driver’s role.

The tanker fleet is to be updated with state-of-the-art technology and branding that reflects both the K9 Fuels and Rix Petroleum names.

The move also sees products and services available from the Gainsborough business extended, as customers will now be able to get access to boiler repairs, replacement tanks, lubricants and AdBlue.

Mr Lambert added he wished Ken and Ann all the best with their retirement.

“Ken and Ann have built a fantastic business which has attracted a loyal customer base and we feel privileged they have chosen us to take that business forward,” he said.

“We intended to make the transition as smooth as possible so customers can be assured of complete continuity of service.”

Mr Shingdia said that finding the right successor to take the business on had been one of the biggest challenges of deciding to retire.

But he added that with more than 80 years’ experience in delivering fuel, he believed Rix Petroleum was the right choice to continue where he and Ann had left off.

“We are pleased to say that we have been able to secure a sale and pass the full operation over to Rix Petroleum, another local and family-owned business,” he said.

“We have complete confidence that what we have worked hard to achieve will continue in the safe hands of a company that shares our own values and attitude towards customer service.”