Donnelly Group opens £6m Dungannon JLR dealership
Donnelly Group has set its sights on delivering “the highest levels of customer service” to its Jaguar Land Rover customers after opening a new £6m dealership at Dungannon.
The new 50,000sq-ft facility, on Moy Road, has added Jaguar to the group’s franchise portfolio for the first time – taking the total number of manufacturer brands it represents to 18 across nine locations.
AM Online: https://bit.ly/2MJIqyq
Swansway Wrexham dealership wins top VW prize
Swansway Motor Group has been named Volkswagen Retailer Group of the Year 2018 at the brand’s One Business Awards. The group owns and runs two centres, Crewe and Wrexham Volkswagen, and beat out competition from 200 UK centres to take the top spot – the Wrexham centre came in first and Crewe in fifth.
The Volkswagen One Business Awards are a celebration of balanced scorecard results, which look for outstanding performance in all areas, at all times, with a bias towards giving great customer service.
John Smyth, Swansway Group director, said: “I am absolutely delighted for the group, winning a manufacturer’s award takes consistent hard work and determination.”
Motor Trader: https://bit.ly/2TpAXa2
Ten Inchcape business managers celebrate IMI accreditation
Inchcape Retail has announced that ten of its business managers have successfully received The IMI Accreditation for Finance and Insurance standards.
The assessments are completed over the course of a day and involve a combination of competence-based modules and discussions where knowledge is examined and skills demonstrated. Candidates achieve accreditation by demonstrating in-depth knowledge and following legislative regulations.
AM Online: https://bit.ly/2sX8bBZ
Weak pound sees foreign buyers targeting UK dealer groups
Foreign buyers are eyeing up UK dealer groups due to the weak pound. This is a key finding of a new report from ICDP, which has taken a close look at recent merger and acquisition transactions in the UK and Europe to find out how changes in ownership may develop in the future.
Its findings show that “The UK has seen continual consolidation domestically through medium and small deals executed by the large groups. But favourable exchange rates have now attracted international buyers.”
It said that the forthcoming retirement of Trevor Finn, CEO of Pendragon, had stirred up interest from investors as an opportunity to “reach scale at a UK national level as the management change introduces some uncertainty.”
Motor Trader: https://bit.ly/2HGtuCf
Dorchester Nissan officially opens doors of transformed showroom
Dorchester Nissan’s new showroom was officially launched on Monday with a special VIP opening event.
The dealership’s fully refurbished showroom has now nearly doubled in size and is one of the region’s most cutting-edge retail environments.
Top executives from Nissan Motor GB and the mayor of Dorchester, Cllr David Taylor, joined more than 170 customers for the launch, which introduced visitors to the transformed 400 square metre showroom that is now one of the largest in the manufacturer’s UK retail network.
Car Dealer Magazine: https://bit.ly/2RYWoCg
JCT600 joins UK Automotive 30% Club for gender balance
JCT600 has joined the UK Automotive 30% Club, an organisation committed to achieving a better gender balance in the sector. This move is part of its ongoing commitment to attracting more women to the automotive industry.
The UK Automotive 30% Club was set up in 2016 by Gaia Innovation CEO Julia Muir, and is made up of CEOs and managing directors of automotive manufacturers, retailers and suppliers committed to achieving the goal of having 30% of women in key leadership positions in their organisations by 2030.
Motor Trader: https://bit.ly/2UBERgv
Vertu Honda Newcastle drives towards autism-friendly dealership
Vertu Honda Newcastle is working to make its dealership and services autism-friendly.
The dealership has supported the North East Autism Society with a number of fundraising events and now the organisation has been training staff on making visits to the showroom easier for those living with autism, after the team saw a rise in visits by people on the spectrum.
The sessions were tailored to the dealership’s environment and started with how to understand the disability and the differences in communication. The training then covered the emotional and social well-being of customers and how to make visitors as comfortable as possible.
Car Dealer Magazine: https://bit.ly/2RpjcGd
