Wirral-based Essar, which supplies more than 16% of the UK’s road fuel, now has its first outlet in the North East after the conversion of an MPK petrol station in County Durham. Tony McDonough reports

Mersyside’s Essar Oil UK is continuing the expansion of its petrol retail network with its first outlet in the North East of England.

Wirral-based Essar, which supplies more than 16% of the UK’s road fuel, has converted the high volume MKP Chester Road petrol station in Stanley, County Durham. This is the company’s 70th site in the UK and it is the 13th MPK location to switch to the Essar brand.

Essar entered the UK retail market with the opening of its first branded forecourt in November 2015 at Coalville in Leicestershire and plans to open its first company-owned flagship site opposite the Stanlow Manufacturing Complex in Ellesmere Port later this year.

The global Essar Group acquired the then loss-making Stanlow in 2011 from Shell and has since invested £650m turning it into a sustainable and profitable business which now generates annual revenues of more than £4bn.

Every year the Stanlow site produces 4.4bn litres of diesel, 3bn litres of petrol and 2bn litres of jet fuel. More than 9m tonnes of crude oil and feed-stock processed each year, making it one of the biggest refineries in the country.

Ramsay Macdonald, head of retail at Essar, said: “One of the many advantages Essar has as a refiner and exporter is the ability to swiftly secure advantaged additised product anywhere in the UK, with the support of our logistics operations.

“We can now offer the award-winning Essar brand proposition and a full range of quality products to the North East market and we would be delighted to hear from any dealers who are keen benefit from this.”