B&W is the latest in a series of acquisitions that have helped grow Fox Brothers’ turnover from £16m to nearly £100m in just two years and turn it into Fox Group.
Bill Whitwell started in 1963 with a JCB 3C. He set up B&W Plant Hire & Sales Limited in 2001 with his wife Mary. Today the business runs a hire fleet of more than 2,500 machines out of depots in Blackburn, Keighley and Northwich in the north as well as Southampton on the south coast.
In the year to 31st March 2022, B&W Plant Hire & Sales turned over £15.9m and made a pre-tax profit of £2.0m. Fox Group’s projected turnover for the year to 31st August 2022 was £81.2m.
B&W owner Will Whitwell, son of the founder, said: “After a lifetime in the industry, and 25 years building B&W, I feel that the time is right for the next chapter in the company’s journey. Fox Group are a fantastic fit to hand B&W over to – Paul and his team are very dynamic and the future will be exciting for the company. Fox Group, like B&W, are a business based on true and honest values so this acquisition will also give the B&W team the security they deserve, and enable B&W to offer further services and products to our customers.”
Fox Group chief executive Paul Fox said: “B&W has a strong reputation with solid family values and a fantastic team who are passionate about their customers, which is aligned with the Fox Group culture. The acquisition of B&W adds a large amount of plant items to our already significant fleet of plant, tippers, specialist compact equipment and bulk haulage. The geographical spread of B&W’s depots also extends the reach of Fox Group, increasing our already extensive footprint across the UK.”
B&W managing director Andrew Partington added: “I am very excited by the acquisition and the future growth it will bring to our team... Paul has shared the vision for the future, and myself and the B&W team look forward to the next stage of the B&W journey, together with the Fox Group.”
Fox Group chief operating officer John Flood has been instrumental in the growth strategy. In a previous job he helped grow Enterprise from around £30m annual turnover to £1.1bn before its sale to Ferrovial for £385m in 2013.
Of the latest deal, John Flood said: “Our acquisition of B&W makes perfect sense for the Fox Group. B&W has an excellent reputation and great potential for growth. Our focus is to provide a broader range of services to our customers and this deal will provide the Fox Group with added capability”.
Since buying Clive Hurt Plant Hire and sister company CMP Plant Hire in September 2020, Fox has acquired Celplas, JJ O’Grady, Blackledge Plant Hire, CRH Plant Hire, Woods Waste, Midland Site Services and now B&W Plant Hire Sales Limited,. It has grown to 30 locations, 700 employees, 300 wagons and 4,500 items of plant and machinery.
Fox Brothers was founded in 1932 by Jack Fox, who handed the reigns to his son Harold Fox (HF), known as Barney, in the 1970s. When Barney Fox died in 2007, his grandson Paul Fox, aged just 23, took over the business.
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