Crown Oil expands with new site as demand for green fuel ‘rockets’
Greater Manchester fuel supplier Crown Oil has invested in a new site as it expands to cope with “rocketing customer demand” for green fuels.
The Heap Bridge business, part of the £420m-turnover Crown Oil family of companies, has acquired land in Pilsworth, Bury, to enable it to continue the growth it has experienced during the last 12 months.
The 8.8-acre site will provide the family business with additional space to cater for its expanding sustainable fuels operation.
The increased space will enable the business to carry out research and development (R&D) and blend and store alternative fuels.
Office staff including accounts, sales, customer services, marketing and IT will remain at the Heap Bridge head office.
Crown Oil, based on Bury New Road, became the first and only UK fuel supplier to run its entire fleet of tankers and delivery vehicles on hydrotreated vegetable oil in June 2021.
Managing director Matthew Greensmith said the investment was timely, taking place as the world’s leaders meet to discuss environmental issues at COP26.
He said: “As green measures have never been higher up the agenda, businesses have a responsibility to act now to contribute towards reducing the effects of climate change.
“Crown Oil has taken this responsibility seriously, encouraging customers to make the change to HVO, while setting the example ourselves.
“As a result, we have found demand for greener, cleaner alternative fuels increasing, which has led to a need to expand our current operations into a new site.
“Our Pilsworth site will enable us to serve an even greater number of customers and carry out more research and development into alternative products.
“We look forward to opening this additional site and continuing the work that resulted in our Green Award earlier this year.”
The business has championed the use of cleaner fuels to customers across sectors including construction, on-road transport, rail, inland waterways and stand-by power.
As part of its green efforts, the business has also pledged to run all of its buildings on renewable energy by 2023.
