Paul with Andy Duckett, director at Fox Group business J A Jackson cargo by sea, throughout the UK and Europe.
Then there is the commitment to the circular economy. When it comes to recycling, a wash plant on the outskirts of Preston is diverting increasing amounts of waste from landfill.
It is currently producing 10,000 tonnes of materials each week which are then turned into recycled aggregates. “We’re working not to put things in the tip,” Paul explains.
Green initiatives in the pipeline include the production of concrete using more recycled materials, battery storage projects and the restoration of quarry sites owned by the business.
Fox is a fourth-generation family firm that can trace its history back to 1932. Its growth journey really got underway in 2020 when it started on its acquisition trail.
The first was a multi-million-pound deal that brought together two of the North West’s heavyweight operators in the haulage and plant hire sector.
A whole series of acquisitions followed with businesses across the country bolted onto the group.
Paul describes that first deal as “a catalyst” for future growth, which opened new doors for the business and created significant opportunities
that it has taken advantage of. He says: “That was the springboard for us. It raised the barrier to entry.”
He is a firm advocate for family businesses and their strengths, including their workforces’ loyalty. All the businesses acquired by Fox have themselves been family run, with the people staying post-deal.
Paul says: “We look at the people first, as they are its biggest asset. Any business we buy also has to tick a number of boxes.
“We have to understand what they do. There’s no good buying a company with great people in it if you don’t understand what the core of the business is.
“It has to be profitable and it has to align with our business. We have got to be able to add value to it and it has to be able to add value to the wider group.”
He says: “It is about making the right decisions. We’re still getting approaches from firms and it is about picking the right ones.
“There are always acquisitions in the pipeline but our focus is growing the arms of the business that add real value, it isn’t just about adding more metal.”
This includes building on the strategic alliance agreed earlier this year between Fox’s Group
equipment sales business and LiuGong, a global manufacturer of plant machinery.
Fox will retail and support the LiuGong product range from nine bespoke depots across the UK and there are already plans for future expansion.
Paul, who was brought up in Thornton, took over the reins of the business in 2007 at the age of 23. He says: “There was never any way I was going to do anything else but come into the business, nor did I want to. I spent half my school life in the yard.
“You learn as you go and it was a very steep learning curve. I was raised by my grandad, affectionately known as ‘Barney’, who always had the motto ‘look after the business and the business will look after you’.
“It’s not work when you enjoy it and I enjoy the fact we’re creating and building the company with the same ethos Barney installed in me and proud that we have a large number of colleagues with an exciting future ahead of us.
“I’ve just travelled from Preston to Blackpool and have seen the family name on 15 trucks and that gives you a real sense of pride.
“The business is over 90 years old and we want it to be here for another 90 years, as a strong family business.”
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THE BIG INTERVIEW
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