Zuber Issa, the billionaire entrepreneur who co-led the £6.8 billion acquisition of Asda in 2021, is investing millions in a new venture — the revival of Duckhams, a storied British motor oil brand once favoured by Formula 1 legends including Nigel Mansell and Ayrton Senna.
Issa’s investment, made independently of his brother Mohsin, is set to value Duckhams at approximately £50 million and will help propel the brand into new international markets while expanding its presence in the UK. The company, based in Bolton and employing around 100 people, is preparing for a five-year global expansion plan targeting 50 markets, up from the current 24.
“It’s great to see it back,” said Professor David Bailey, automotive industry expert at Birmingham University. “It is a brand very much intertwined with British motoring heritage and sport. It was sadly killed off as a brand under BP ownership.”
Founded in 1899 by chemist Alexander Duckham in Millwall, east London, Duckhams was once the lubricant of choice for British automotive icons including Austin, Bentley, Rolls-Royce and Rover. In 1951, the company launched Duckhams Q, Europe’s first multi-grade motor oil. It later gained global recognition through its sponsorship of Formula 1 teams, including James Hunt’s Hesketh Racing.
After being acquired by BP in 1969, the brand was heavily promoted throughout the 1970s and 1980s. However, by 2000, BP began consolidating its motor oil products under the Castrol name, and Duckhams disappeared from most markets.
The brand was quietly revived in 2016 by Jabir Sheth, another petrol forecourts entrepreneur, who acquired the Duckhams IP from BP. In doing so, he also inherited a 51% stake in a joint venture in Thailand, the only country where the Duckhams name had continued to be used.
“There were handwritten formula books dating back more than 100 years,” said Firoz Patel, executive director at Duckhams, recalling the discovery of the brand’s original archives following the relaunch.
Since its initial return to market in 2017, Duckhams has rebuilt a presence in Europe, the Middle East and Southeast Asia, including the UK, Ireland, Germany, Spain, Denmark, UAE, Qatar, Oman, Thailand, Malaysia and Singapore.
With Issa’s backing, Duckhams now plans to expand through a franchising model, working with local partners to blend and distribute oils, reducing overheads while leveraging regional expertise. The company will also target the classic car market, a space where it retains strong brand loyalty.
The strategy will be supported by increased advertising and retail distribution, with Duckhams oils set to be stocked in EG On The Move, Issa’s petrol forecourts chain. While Zuber Issa sold his stake in Asda to TDR Capital in 2024, he remains a major player in UK retail and fuel distribution.
“The investment will be used to increase brand awareness,” Patel explained. “And the focus on classic cars will help the brand reconnect with its heritage, while new distribution routes will drive growth.”
Professor Bailey said that Duckhams still holds brand equity in Commonwealth countries like Malaysia and Singapore, which gives it a competitive edge internationally.
“Its classics oil will appeal, of course, to owners of historic cars, but the firm will also need to appeal to the mass market to be successful, which will be more challenging,” he noted.
“Historically, the brand was highly innovative and linked to motorsports. Building on that will be key to relaunching the brand internationally.”
As Issa turns his attention from grocery aisles to engine bays, the revival of Duckhams could be one of the most unexpected British brand comebacks in recent years — marrying historic legacy with modern entrepreneurial ambition.
