Euro Garages – Recruitment Case Study:
Roles recruited to:
- Finance Director (multiple)
- Group Head of Finance (multiple)
- Divisional Head of Finance (multiple)
- Financial Controller (multiple)
- Commercial Financial Controller (multiple)
- Qualified Financial Accountant (multiple)
- Qualified Management Accountant (multiple)
- Pricing Analyst
- Commercial Analyst
- Interim SCC
The Business
Axon Moore's long-term recruitment relationship with Euro Garages (EG Group) goes back more than 10 years. As the UK’s largest, privately-owned forecourt operator, Euro Garages have a highly successful strategy built around buying and redeveloping underperforming sites in high-density locations so they become a useful amenity for passing commuters and the local community.
They now have an international footprint and are market leaders in Australia, USA, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. By not using fuel as the core profit driver, Euro Garages is able to attract more cars to its forecourts. Their strategy involves installing more pumps than the industry norm to create extra parking which allows customers to spend more time on the site thus enabling Euro Garages to drive revenue through ancillary services.
To ensure its forecourts remain at the forefront of forecourt design, Euro Garages has made a number of high-profile partnerships with the likes of Sainsbury’s, Subway, Starbucks, Greggs, Spar, and Burger King, all of which are highly profitable. Furthermore, in recent years they began buying household name brands integrate into their own portfolio - examples include ASDA, Little Chef, Cooplands Bakery and LEON Restaurants. They are a highly acquisitive business that continues to buy more forecourts, ancillary service brands and key suppliers associated with the supply chain.
Background to Exercise
Axon Moore has worked in close partnership with Euro Garages since 2011, with the appointment of their first Finance Director (FD) and newly qualified Accountant when they were a local SME. Axon Moore specialise in making key senior leadership appointments in high growth businesses and EG Group is a great example of why we are experts in supporting our clients through each phase of their development. We have been EG Group's recruitment partner of choice for over 10 years, during a time which has seen them grow to £30bn+ in revenue with more than 50,000 employees worldwide.
EG Group has had several different Group FD / CFOs as they have grown from one level to the next, which has required different areas of expertise and specialist skillsets. The changes of leadership have brought with it different cultures, structures and sets of goals. The new recruitment project for Euro Garages signals another new chapter in the development and advancement of the Euro Garages brand. TDR Capital are still the Private Equity House and the Issa brothers are still the majority shareholders.
Our Response
By taking a personal approach we have been the extension of particular FDs and Heads of Finance into the NW candidate market. We have helped them to stand out in a noisy market place, and ensure the personal profile of the hiring manager is elevated in the public forum. We have gone the extra mile in sourcing and attracting talent locally and from Manchester to work at their Blackburn HQ.
Outcome:
Euro Garages continues to rapidly grow both organically and through acquisition.
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“Laura has helped me throughout my career to find a role personally and also helped me to recruit when I have a need within my team. From start to finish, Laura is a pleasure to work with, being very easy to communicate with, being readily available for any queries. She builds relationships excellently in a professional manner. I will definitely contact Axon Moore and specifically Laura again when the need arises.”
Luke Rowarth, Head of FinanceNRG Fleet Services
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“I was recently placed in my current role by Axon Moore and found the team overwhelmingly simple and supportive. I was relocating from another country and didn't know the job market so it was really important I worked with a recruiter who knew it really well. Axon Moore's client portfolio was incredibly impressive and they used their experience to help me understand the market and how I would fit into it. The support I received throughout and after the recruitment process was second to none and I cannot recommend them highly enough.”
Ross Mclellan, Junior Finance Business PartnerThornton & Ross
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“We use Axon Moore exclusively for recruitment into our finance team due to the quality of candidates presented and the proactive way in which they manage the entire process and relationship. In the last year they have helped with some highly successful hires who have added great value to the team and wider business. I would strongly recommend Axon Moore for any financial recruitment needs.”
Dave Potter, Financial ControllerCalisen PLC
