30


INTERVIEW THE BIG


IN ASSOCIATION WITH:


by Ged Henderson DRIVING THE GREEN AGENDA


Paul Fox puts it bluntly. “We are in a dirty business,” he explains.


It is a world of muck shifting and the supply and haulage of aggregates for the construction industry extracted from pits and quarries.


The 91-year-old family business he heads is also involved in plant hire – the heavy lifting side of construction.


There is little in that business description that would suggest a green agenda in play.


However, the Blackpool based Fox Group has embarked on a sustainability journey with the focus firmly on reducing its carbon footprint – for the good of the planet and the company.


Paul talks with great enthusiasm of the ‘circular economy’ and is crystal clear on the driving force behind all this activity.


He stresses that not only is it the right thing to do, importantly it also makes sound financial sense, increases sales and is a major tool for growing value in the business.


The growth of the group, organically and through a buy to build strategy, has already been spectacular. Current turnover is £150m.


Since the start of the decade Fox has developed from a regional player to a national business that employs 850 people and has 32 locations


across the UK. As part of its keen focus on sustainability it is pioneering the use of electric vehicles, becoming the first tipper operator in the UK to begin the transition from diesel. Recycling plays an increasingly important part in its business model.


Fox Group has also transformed into a multimodal transport operation, with a newly opened railhead in Leyland and a maritime division based at the Port of Lancaster, recent developments which Paul says have moved the business into road, rail and marine.


He speaks of a “lightbulb moment” when the road towards a more sustainable future became clear as a way of “making a difference and helping the business grow”. But he is very clear in stressing: “Everything we do has to make money.”


He adds that the focus on sustainability is also driven by the desire to enhance the group’s long-term business value, along with increasing the multiple on its EBIDTA, “by making changes and helping the future of both local communities and the environment.”


Sitting in his office on the outskirts of Blackpool, surrounded by reminders of the company’s long history, Paul says: “We are in a dirty business. However there are things we can and are doing successfully.


“There’s the use of electric vehicles, Led lighting and solar panels, but the fact is these don’t even scratch the surface.


“However, one of the biggest things we can do to reduce our carbon footprint is to move large amounts of aggregate in a smarter way and that’s by boat and rail. This is now huge for us.”


Freight trains have been delivering concrete aggregates like gravel, sand and crushed rock to Fox Group’s EV wagons at the reopened railhead since the spring.


Bringing the sidings, originally built in 1953 to support the manufacture of Centurion tanks at the outbreak of the Korean War, back into use has been a two year project.


Paul says it is already paying off, both as a greener and more sustainable form of transportation. He explains: “We are moving more stone than before but in a much more sustainable manner.” It is a model he would like to replicate in other parts of the country.


Fox is also moving aggregate by sea through Lancaster’s Glasson Dock and supplying various other ports as part of this strategy.


Paul also sees more growth here and has set up a new venture, Fox Maritime, based at the dock and offering chartering, broking and agency services to anyone who wants to move dry bulk


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