Catching Up With…

Being an authorised distributor means having an exclusive supply relationship with Phillips 66 for certain fuel products and distributing those products under the JET brand. We source those fuels from Phillips 66, sell them to our customers across central England and deliver them in our distinctive JET-branded yellow tankers. The relationship is built on supply, trust and service, backed by the security and expertise of a major UK refiner and international energy company.

The relationship really took shape following the Buncefield disaster in 2005. At the time, Barton had accounts with several suppliers, which is fairly typical for a business of our size. But when the fire happened and the terminal was subsequently closed for three years, we found that we couldn’t get the supply we needed from them.

That made us rethink our approach. Spreading supply across the market did not necessarily mean having a truly strong relationship with any one supplier. If a major disruption affected the market, all our suppliers could be under pressure at the same time.

We decided instead to find the best supplier in the market, source certain fuel products from them exclusively, and build the strongest possible relationship with them. It was an unusual decision for a business like ours, and still raises a few eyebrows now, but it’s a decision that’s really paid off. Being a JET Authorised Distributor has become part of who we are. A lot of people know Barton for our yellow tankers, so it has become almost part of our DNA.

For us, it comes down to security of supply and confidence. If we know we can meet demand, we can go out into the marketplace and win business while continuing to look after the long-standing customers we have built up over many years.

Under normal market conditions, supplying customers can look relatively straightforward. It’s when the market is under pressure that security of supply is really tested and the merits of our relationship with Phillips 66 become apparent.

There have been several difficult periods over the last six or seven years, and each one has reassured us that we made the right decision. Phillips 66 has come through for us each time.

That confidence also allows us to be service-driven. We can go to our customers and say, ‘we won’t let you down,’ because we have confidence in the supply behind us. The relationship with Phillips 66 has become a foundation that we have built our business around.

Our role is about much more than moving product. It is about understanding our customers, building relationships and tailoring our service to what each one needs.

Different customers are looking for different things. Some are focused on price, while others place greater value on reliability, communication or flexibility. Our job is to understand those priorities and deliver the right service.

The last few years have been challenging. During a crisis, the priority is not necessarily to take on as much new work as possible. It is to reassure the customers who already depend on you and make sure you continue to meet the commitments you have made.

We also had people approaching us who would not normally buy from Barton, because they were looking for supply when other options dried up. We had to be sensible about what we could take on, while continuing to support our existing customers.

Our supply arrangements with Phillips 66 gave us confidence during that period and reinforced the value of the relationship we had built over the years.

Our growth has been steady and organic rather than focusing on aggressive expansion or acquisitions.

One important milestone, though, was setting up our fifth and most recent depot in the Cotswolds, which now operates under the Cotswold Petroleum name. Establishing a new depot is a significant undertaking, but it gave us a reliable base from which to develop in new markets alongside the business we do with Phillips 66 Limited.

Another important change was the transition from family leadership. My father was Managing Director for nearly 30 years before retiring in 2022, and we now have a non-family Managing Director, Clive Morin. That has been a major step for the business and has helped us continue moving forward while retaining the values that have always been important to Barton.

Ultimately, though, the main focus has remained the same: delivering reliable service to our customers.

We have been fortunate to have stability in our account management. Callum Guy has been our Account Manager for around seven years. He’s our longest-serving Account Manager and has been brilliant, and that continuity makes a huge difference to serving our account and driving our business.

Callum understands Barton, and we understand Phillips 66 and how Callum works. There is a lot that happens simply because we understand each other and know what we are both trying to achieve.

We still pick up the phone when we need to and have always felt issues are addressed quickly. In many cases, problems are resolved before they ever become an issue for us because the relationship is working well behind the scenes.

Customers are always balancing different priorities. After a period of disruption, security of supply is at the front of everyone’s mind. If the market then becomes stable, that memory gradually fades and the focus can move back towards price – until the next disruption!

We are also seeing increasing interest in Hydrotreated Vegetable Oil (HVO*) – commonly known as renewable diesel – and other future fuels. Awareness is much greater than it was a few years ago, and we have seen volumes grow steadily.

*HVO will not replace fossil diesel overnight, particularly while it remains at a premium. Adoption will depend on the customer, their own customers and the wider regulatory and economic environment. But it is important that distributors can offer the product and give customers the confidence that they’re receiving the correct product, to the right spec, for which they’ve paid.

It would be impossible to say exactly what the market will look like in 20 years. We are confident Barton will still be here, and we are confident Phillips 66 will still be here, although the industry may look very different.

We would like to continue growing, but we do not set ourselves rigid targets around size, sites or locations. We are largely Midlands-based, but we have a broad footprint and will continue to look at opportunities with an open mind.

There may be further consolidation in the market, particularly as the UK operates with fewer refineries. That could create opportunities, but our approach will remain the same: look at each opportunity carefully and make decisions that are right for the business and our customers.

Our JET Authorised Distributor relationship with Phillips 66 for certain fuels has been a key part of Barton’s success over the last 20 years. We chose what we believed was the strongest supplier for some of our core fuels requirements, and that supplier has continued to invest and grow stronger in an uncertain market.

The relationship has given us confidence in our supply and helped us build our own reputation for dependable service. We know how important it has been to Barton, and we hope it continues for many years to come.

*Our Authorised Distributor relationship with Phillips 66 Limited does not cover HVO. HVO is not JET branded, and we source it for our customers from a range of suppliers, including Phillips 66.