Oil distributors a step ahead

Belfast Oil Supplies is currently undertaking considerable expansion. Laura Gilpin, one of the partners, spoke to Cian Ó Raghallaigh.

Albert Gilpin along with his wife Laura run the company

We’re small enough to care’ is the headline on the company’s website and since its establishment; Belfast Oil Supplies has certainly proved its ability to look after its customers. It may be a relatively small operation but the company has over five decades of experience in the fuel distribution industry. The emphasis they place on personal touch and their capacity to deliver has helped them become one of the leading players in this field. The company now incorporates Down Oil Supplies, Leebody Fuels and Portadown Oil Supplies and is keen to develop further over the next few years.

One need only look at a recent award which the company received to realise that they excel at what they do. The company was crowned Maxol Authorised Distributor of the Year 2006/2007. Such an honour recognises the great strides which the firm has been making over the last few years. When asked about it, Laura Gilpin, one of the partners said she was surprised at the award. It was justified, however as Belfast Oil Supplies has made several positive changes in recent times. Last year the firm recruited a new office manager. Not only that, the acquisition of two new companies and a new computer system showed the company’s willingness to improve. Moreover when you consider that they have been in business several decades, the recognition they have received is definitely merited.

Owner Albert Gilpin and one of the drivers

Laura Gilpin took time out from her own schedule to discuss her own entry into this kind of work.
"I myself have been directly involved in the oil business for twelve years now, although my Father Roy Douds, had run his own oil business Down Oil Supplies for 42 years, I would have helped out from time to time in the office. He retired eight years ago, I acquired that business, so from then we traded as Belfast & Down Oil Supplies,” commented Laura.
With her own family already well-established in Belfast Oil Supplies, it was easier for Laura along with her husband Albert, to take over the running of the company. Albert too, had already worked in the firm and had a good working knowledge of all that happened in the Oil Industry. The firm now has seven tankers on the road. Alongside Laura and Albert, there are nine other employees, including their own son Richard and daughter Rachel.

The expansions which occurred in recent years have certainly benefited the company. In December 2005 Belfast Oil Supplies took over the Leebody Fuels company. The owner of that firm was retiring. The takeover was smooth; Leebody Fuels was a well-established firm. With some of the Leebody family remaining in the business, Laura and Albert already had an experienced team in place when they started.
This wasn’t the sole change to take place at Belfast Oil Supplies. Last June the continuing growth of the firm necessitated the need for a new office manager. Lesley McCluskey was given this role. Laura agrees that that there is less pressure on her now with a new person in the company but says there is always plenty going on to keep her busy in her own work. She is one of the main sales people in the job but also does some administrative work.

Leabody Fuels is part of the Belfast Oil Supplies Group

Expansion is something which any business will consider when afforded the opportunity. Many will see it as a chance of furthering themselves in whatever industry they have chosen to work. It is a chance to promote, to advertise, to market themselves further. It’s no different for Belfast Oil Supplies but she maintains it took some time before the firm decided to expand.
“There are three businesses in total now and all of them have separate entities. We hadn’t really considered expansion. Then when the opportunity arose, it proved to be a very good move. Before that we thought we had enough on our plate but then we decided to go a little bit further,” she says.
It is just as well. She knows that the oil business provides plenty of opposition for companies such as her own. There is always a need, she says, for growth.

“The oil business is a very competitive business. And if you don’t expand, you could flounder in the business. A lot of the businesses out there like our own are struggling because they are unable to do that.
“Oil can be a hard business in which to get sales and we’ve a lot of competition but Maxol has always been behind us and it’s good to have a brand name like it on our lorries.”
It is a sign of the company’s own success that they were able to consider buying other companies. There were opportunities there but they decided to remain content with what they have.
“We have been recently offered other distributorships but we felt they weren’t coming at the right time. Sometimes you can bite more than you can chew,” she says.

The company has to adhere to strict stipulations in its Northern Ireland base: any company such as Belfast Oil Supplies has to maintain a record of all the fuel which they distribute. A new computer system supplied by AE Business has greatly helped them in this regard. Prior to obtaining the computer system, Laura always needed to do the work manually. Now, however, she can record all the details onto the system. Any customer queries can also be answered by examining details of that person’s last delivery.
Over the years, Belfast Oil Supplies has invested much time into developing itself. It has worked; the firm has a wide client base built up. At the present time, most of the firm’s customers are domestic ones. They also sell to businesses such as Hughes Christensen, Cemex Concrete (formerly Ready Mix Concrete) and some other smaller businesses.
The hard work has paid off; the firm is now well-established as a reliable oil supplier and should continue to progress.