Highland Fuels has successfully completed the transfer of a majority number of shares of the company to its employees.
Our heritage has always been one of investment and growth and the entrepreneurial spirit that was established following our formation still runs through the company over 65 years on.
The geographical development of the company has been vast with 11 depots across Scotland as well as commercial reach into the north of England. We operate a fleet of over 45 road tankers, own 16 petrol stations and are supported by over 250 employees spread between our most southerly office located in Manchester to our most northerly office based in Lerwick, Shetland.
Chairman and owner, George Shand, has been considering the future of the company and has always been mindful of the loyalty of the staff and the company’s roots in the north of Scotland.
“We’re proud of being different. We’re a Highland based company with a very wide reach. We live our values,” shared George who previously led a management buyout of Highland Fuels in 2001 which was built around ensuring that the company remained firmly in local hands.
George, working with his fellow directors, was keen to find a business model that preserved our rich heritage and importantly maintained continuity of operations and employment for the long term as has been the culture of the company to date.
In doing so, the employee ownership route was identified as it enables the core values and the purpose of the company to remain, whilst also further empowering the team to drive our growth plans into the future.
Managing Director Stephen Rhodes adds “employee ownership is perfect for us. It truly enables every single employee to benefit from the company’s advancement and provides the right platform for us to realise a positive culture, high engagement and great performances as we progress to the future”.
Employee ownership is an increasingly popular route for many private companies. There are now over 1,400 companies with this structure in the UK, with 170 of them in Scotland – and with Highland Fuels now part of this group – and one of the largest – it certainly reinforces this positive trend.