Move to fuel card company's growth

A DIVISION of a Hull family firm is laying the foundations for future growth after moving into new premises.

Fuel card firm Fuelmate, which is part of the JR Rix & Sons Ltd group, has relocated into a specially created office complex to facilitate the company's expansion.

The company, which was previously housed in offices in Rix's main building in Spyvee Street, east Hull, has now moved into the former body repair shop of car retailer Jordans in the same street, which has undergone a £150,000 conversion into state-of-the-art offices.

The move has been prompted by an increase in the number of firms looking to cut fuel costs in the continuing recession – a trend Fuelmate said it was keen to capitalise on.

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Johnny Vintis, manager of Fuelmate, said: "Fuelmate has been steadily growing for the past four years and while having office space in Rix's main building has provided a good start, it is not an ideal long-term solution.

"We thought about moving entirely but decided because there are synergies between us and other companies in the group, particularly Rix Petroleum, it made more sense to stay where we are.

"So instead Rix decided to utilise the old Jordan body shop, which has been used purely for storage for years, and turn it into office space."

The expansion adds a total of 1,800sq ft to the existing Rix headquarters.

It will eventually house a team of 16 Fuelmate staff, with the company currently in the process of appointing further telesales operators and a field rep.

"It is working out fantastically well," said Mr Vintis.

"Work is 95 per cent finished and we have just about completed the move. It means there is plenty of space for the newcomers, which we are just in the process of recruiting."

Fuelmate offers an extensive range of cards, including BP Plus Bunker, euroShell CRT, Keyfuels and TotalCard, as well as creating bespoke fuel card solutions for companies and organisations with specific requirements.

Mr Vintis said he expected Fuelmate to continue expanding as more businesses turn to fuel cards for payment, instead of using credit cards or cash.

He said: "It is not just the big businesses like hauliers and fleet operators who are keen to save on fuel, but smaller businesses too.

"They might only have one or two vehicles in their companies but when the economy is like it is at the moment, every penny counts."