DCC buys Brogans DCC plc, the business support services group, which bought Bayford Oil last year, has agreed to acquire the entire issued share capital

of Brogan Holdings Ltd, a leading fuel distribution and fuel card business which is based in Motherwell, Scotland, and operates from 15 fuel distribution depots in Scotland and the north of England. Brogans has a fleet of 87 road tankers and 279 employees. It sold 447 million litres of fuel in its financial year ended May 31, 2009. It markets fuel cards under a number of leading brands including BP, Diesel Direct, Shell and Texaco. Tommy Breen, chief executive of DCC plc, said: "The acquisition of Brogans will further enhance DCC Energy’s position as the leading oil distributor in Britain, bringing its market share to approximately 14%, and will also significantly increase the scale of DCC’s fuel card operations in Britain. We are confident that the integration of Brogans with DCC’s existing oil distribution and fuel card activities will deliver returns on capital broadly commensurate with previous energy acquisitions."

DCC has also announced that it has completed the acquisition of Shell Direct Austria GmbH.

New battery recycling

Vince Armitage, divisional vice president at Varta Consumer Batteries, has warned retailers that new EU rules on battery disposal come into force next month. The Batteries Directive applies to any retailer selling more than 32kg of batteries per year the equivalent of pack of AA batteries per day. Armitage said retailers must provide a box, carton or bin for people to return batteries, and also arrange for collection by a nominated company. For more info visit www.defra.gov.uk/environment/waste/producer/batteries/affected.htm