Edge Rewrite
everything Source code View original
// HTMLRewriter · presentation

This page was redesigned at the edge.

Cloudflare fetched the original article and streamed it through HTMLRewriter to apply an entirely new visual system without rebuilding the source page.

// request.cf · coarse context

A page that knows where it met you.

Only coarse request metadata is shown. This demo does not display or persist visitor IP addresses.

Country
US
Cloudflare location
CMH
Connection
HTTP/2
Language
Not provided

Ray ID: a44087e75fd0984a

Jump to content

Draft:Duckhams

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  • Comment: On hold. Sourcing's fine but the username suggests paid editing with no WP:PAID disclosure. Balabush (talk) 18:08, 27 September 2026 (UTC)

Duckhams is a British brand of motor oils and lubricants established in London in 1899 by chemist Alexander Duckham. The company became known for its multigrade engine oils, particularly Q20-50, which was widely sold in Britain from the 1960s onwards. By 1969, Duckhams held approximately 26 per cent of the British retail motor-oil market, second to Castrol.[1][2][3]

BP acquired Duckhams at the end of 1969 and continued to operate it as a separate lubricants business.[1] The brand was acquired from BP in 2016 and relaunched in Britain the following year.[4][5] Duckhams subsequently expanded its international distribution, with its products available in 24 markets by May 2025.[4]

History

[edit]

Founding and early years

[edit]

Alexander Duckham began working as a chemist at Fleming's Oil Company in Millwall, London, in 1897. Two years later, he established his own business at Phoenix Wharf, Millwall, using £200 provided by his father. The original premises consisted of a two-room wooden building.[1]: 15 

The original company was wound up in 1920, and a new company of the same name was incorporated on 13 January that year. Manufacturing subsequently moved from Millwall to Hammersmith, where new works were operating by 1923.[1]: 28, 32 [6]

Alexander Duckham died on 1 February 1945, aged 67. His son Jack succeeded him in the business.[1]: 7, 64 

Multigrade oils and expansion

[edit]

Duckhams introduced Q5500, its first multigrade engine oil, in 1951. This was followed by Q20-50 in 1956, which was first sold as a motorcycle oil before becoming one of the company's best-known products.[1]: 94, 100 

Q20-50 was distinguished by its green colour. Motoring writer Giles Chapman describes the oil as becoming a familiar product in British garages, automotive accessory shops and motor factors from the 1960s through to the 1990s, alongside competing products such as Castrol GTX.[2]

The company's share of the British retail motor-oil market increased from approximately 1 per cent in 1960 to 26 per cent by 1969. In his history of BP, James Bamberg attributes Duckhams' growth in part to its competitively priced multigrade oils, which were popular with motoring enthusiasts and motorists who maintained their own vehicles.[3]

In 1968, Duckhams opened a new £500,000 factory at Aldridge, Staffordshire. The 56,000-square-foot facility was officially opened by MP Ray Gunter.[1]: 112 [7]

BP ownership

[edit]

Duckhams attracted interest from potential buyers towards the end of the 1960s. An approach from Esso in 1969 did not result in a transaction, after which the company's board entered negotiations with BP. The takeover was confirmed on 31 December 1969, following acceptance by shareholders representing 82 per cent of the company.[1]: 114–115 

BP initially retained Duckhams as a separate business, allowing it to continue marketing its own lubricants rather than incorporating its products into the Shell-Mex and BP operation.[3]

In March 1982, Duckhams introduced Hypergrade, a 15W/50 motor oil that was subsequently promoted through television advertising.[1]: 146 [8]

By the early 1990s, BP was considering selling the business. In September 1992, The Independent reported that Duckhams accounted for an estimated 15 per cent of the British motor-oil market supplied by independent companies, compared with Castrol's 25 per cent. Duckhams had recorded turnover of £24.4 million in 1991, with taxable profits falling from £1.13 million in 1990 to £800,000 in 1991.[8]

Earlier in 1992, Duckhams had acquired Duckhams Oils Ireland for approximately £325,000. The acquisition was reported alongside BP's consideration of a sale of the wider Duckhams business.[8]

BP retained Duckhams at that time. In February 2011, it announced that it was seeking buyers for Duckhams and Veedol.[9]

At the time, Duckhams products remained on sale in the United Kingdom, Ireland and Malaysia, although the brand received relatively little advertising as BP moved customers towards its Castrol and BP lubricants businesses.[9]

Revival

[edit]

In 2016, businessman Jabir Sheth acquired the Duckhams intellectual property from BP, together with a 51 per cent interest in a Thai joint venture. Thailand was reported to be the only country where the Duckhams name had remained in use.[4]

Companies House records show that Zain Holdings Limited became a person with significant control of Alexander Duckham & Co., Limited, in July 2016.[6]

Duckhams returned to the British market in late 2017, with a relaunch at the Classic Motor Show. The initial range was directed towards owners of older vehicles and included SAE 30 and SAE 40 monograde oils, a multigrade oil and a reformulated version of Q20W-50.[5]

In May 2025, businessman Zuber Issa, the former co-owner of supermarket chain Asda, invested in Duckhams. The transaction was reported to value the business at approximately £50 million. Issa had sold his 22.5 per cent stake in Asda to TDR Capital in November 2024.[4][10][11]

Companies House records show that Able Holdings A Limited became a person with significant control of Zain Holdings on 5 May 2025, with Zuber Issa appointed a director of Zain Holdings on 14 May. The filings record Able Holdings A Limited as holding more than 25 per cent but not more than 50 per cent of Zain Holdings' shares and voting rights.[12]

At the time of Issa's investment, Duckhams was reported to operate in 24 international markets. The company announced plans to expand into 50 markets over five years, increasing distribution through EG On The Move petrol forecourts.[4][10]

Motorsport

[edit]

Duckhams had associations with motor racing from the early years of the company, including links with motorists and racing figures such as S. F. Edge and Goldie Gardner. A coordinated motorsport programme developed during the 1960s, initially involving smaller racing categories before extending into Formula One and sports-car racing.[1]: 116–118 

Formula One

[edit]

In 1971, Duckhams tested its Q20-50 engine oil with Team Surtees at Silverstone. Alan Rollinson drove a Surtees Formula One car over a full Grand Prix distance using commercially available Q20-50. Following the test, the engine was dismantled and inspected, leading to an arrangement for the oil to be used by Team Surtees during the 1972 Formula One season.[1]: 7, 118 

A contemporary advertisement in the programme for the 1972 Silverstone International Trophy confirmed the arrangement with John Surtees and the team's use of Q20-50. The advertisement also recorded Tim Schenken's fifth-place finish in the Argentine Grand Prix earlier that year.[13]

Duckhams subsequently worked with Team Lotus for two seasons beginning in 1973. During the second season of the arrangement, Ronnie Peterson won three Grands Prix for Lotus in 1974.[1]: 118–122 

The company's other Formula One associations during the 1970s included Graham Hill's Embassy team and Hesketh Racing, with which James Hunt competed.[1]: 121 

Duckhams LM

[edit]

Duckhams was also involved in sports-car racing through its sponsorship of the Duckhams LM, a prototype commissioned by Alain de Cadenet for the 1972 24 Hours of Le Mans.[14]

De Cadenet commissioned Gordon Murray to design the car, using suspension components from a Brabham BT33 Formula One chassis. The Duckhams LM was built around an aluminium monocoque chassis and powered by a Ford Cosworth DFV engine. Duckhams contributed financially to the project, and the car was finished in yellow and blue, reflecting the company's motor-oil packaging.[14]

De Cadenet shared the driving with Chris Craft at Le Mans. The pair were running fourth overall with approximately an hour remaining when a sudden downpour caught Craft at Tertre Rouge. The resulting crash damaged the car's front bodywork, but Craft returned to the pits, where repairs were completed in time for de Cadenet to drive the final lap.[14]

The Duckhams LM was classified twelfth overall and received the Woolf Barnato Trophy as the first British car home.[14][15]

The car returned to Le Mans in 1973 with revised bodywork, including a longer tail and larger rear wing. De Cadenet and Craft retired during the thirteenth hour following a suspension failure. The car was entered again in 1974 under the de Cadenet name, driven by Chris Craft and John Nicholson, but failed to finish.[14][15]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 Wager, Robin (1999). The Duckham's Story: A Century of Fighting Friction. Sparkford: Haynes Publishing. ISBN 1-85960-639-3.
  2. 1 2 Chapman, Giles (2024). "Alexander Duckham: Black gold trail from Millwall to Trinidad". Three Million Miles in a Volvo and Other Curious Car Stories: 50 Fascinating Lives with Cars. The History Press. ISBN 978-1-80399-550-2.
  3. 1 2 3 Bamberg, James (2000). British Petroleum and Global Oil 1950–1975: The Challenge of Nationalism. The History of the British Petroleum Company. Vol. 3. Cambridge University Press. pp. 239–240.
  4. 1 2 3 4 5 Young, Jamie (26 May 2025). "Asda billionaire Zuber Issa backs revival of iconic British oil brand Duckhams". Business Matters.
  5. 1 2 Rowswell, Glenn (8 December 2017). "Duckhams revival". Classics World.
  6. 1 2 "Alexander Duckham & Co., Limited, company number 00162738". Companies House. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
  7. ↑ "Labour agreement for new Duckham's factory". Commercial Motor. 8 November 1968.
  8. 1 2 3 Thapar, Neil (13 September 1992). "BP may sell Duckhams". The Independent.
  9. 1 2 "BP plans to sell Duckhams". The Independent. Press Association. 23 February 2011.
  10. 1 2 Gill, Oliver (24 May 2025). "Asda billionaire's next investment: British motor oil firm Duckhams". The Times.
  11. ↑ "Asda announces the completion of TDR Capital's purchase of Zuber Issa's shares" (Press release). Asda. 1 November 2024.
  12. ↑ "Zain Holdings Limited, company number 10245484: officers and persons with significant control". Companies House. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
  13. ↑ GKN-Daily Express 24th International Trophy Meeting: official programme (PDF). 23 April 1972. Duckhams advertisement, "Team Surtees Formula 1 cars now race on Duckhams Q20-50".
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 Melissen, Wouter. "Alain de Cadenet and the Duckhams LM". Revs Institute. Retrieved 27 September 2026.
  15. 1 2 "Duckhams archive". Racing Sports Cars.

Further reading

[edit]
  • Wager, Robin (1999). The Duckham's Story: A Century of Fighting Friction. Sparkford: Haynes Publishing. ISBN 1-85960-639-3.
[edit]

Category:British brands Category:Oil companies of the United Kingdom Category:1899 establishments in England

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Draft:Duckhams&oldid=1377055766"