Esso Petroleum Co Ltd

Sectors:

  • Chemical production Basic chemicals production
  • Distribution - retailing Fuel retailing inc coal, wood, petrol, oil products, etc
  • Oil, coal, coke, etc, products manufacture Oil products refining
  • Transport services Shipping services - long distance, inc ship ownership & management

Notes:

Established 1888 as Anglo American Oil Co Ltd, a subsidiary of Standard Oil Trust of USA, to attempt to establish monopoly control over oil distribution in the UK and as a response to Standard Oil's loss of market share resulting from Russian imports and Scottish shale oil production. Initially marketed paraffin/petrol (Pratt's Motor Car Spirit) imported from USA. Established storage facilities at Purfleet and started to build an oil tanker fleet before 1900. Ownership transferred to Standard Oil (New Jersey) in 1911. Acquired Valor Co, domestic heater manufacturers at Birmingham, in 1920. Acquired oil refinery at Fawley in 1925. 1930s acquired oil refining and distribution/retailing business, Cleveland Petroleum Products, based in North West England. Adopted Esso brand in 1934 and renamed business Esso Petroleum Co Ltd in 1951. Rebuilt Fawley Refinery on very large scale 1950-51 and developed associated chemical works which in 1966 were placed in Esso Chemicals Ltd. Subsequently became part of Exxon Mobil.

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