Rix Petroleum East Anglia Welcome Mark Draysdale

Norwich resident Mark Drysdale brings more than 12 years experience in fuel supply and distribution to his new post at the West Carr Road-based business.

It comes as Rix Petroleum is looking to grow its delivery area with the addition of a new tanker to its fleet.

Currently the business delivers commercial diesel and residential heating oil as far as south Suffolk but the new tanker will be dedicated to serving farmers, hauliers and households in Essex and the South East.

It is due to come on stream in January.

Mr Drysdale said the Rix Petroleum has been successfully building its profile across Norfolk since the depot opened two years ago, and his task is to build on that.

He said: “Norfolk has a fantastic agricultural heritage, a lot of hauliers and many rural communities that rely on heating oil rather than the mains gas supply, and they constituent a huge part of our market so it really is a great place for us to do business. We have been steadily increasing our customer base here since the depot opened.

“It is particularly important we increase our delivery capacity at this time of the year because of the amount of people who rely on regular fuel deliveries – many of them to run their businesses through the winter months and many more to keep their houses warm.”

Mr Drysdale added the new tanker would allow Rix Petroleum to access new markets in the south, which would free up the existing tankers to work more in East Anglia.

He said: “Currently we deliver from north Norfolk down to south Suffolk and from the coast in the east to Ely in the west.

“The new tanker will open up markets further south into Essex and commercial customers in London. But it will also take over some of the work in the southern part of our patch, freeing up a tanker to concentrate more on East Anglia.

“All in all it is a good move for us and for the people and businesses we serve, particularly now when we are coming into the coldest part of the year.”