15 February 2021
The winning combination of superb customer service and product expertise has led to family owned VW Van Centre Liverpool selling over 16,000 new commercial vehicles, 8000 approved used vans , training 24 apprentices, and over a decade of keeping local emergency services on the road, even throughout all the lockdowns!
Staff first arrived on site on
the VWVC site 10 years ago, and were met with a partially equipped workshop, a
skeleton team of just five members and a total absence of local customers. So
the challenge was on; and the mission was to build up the business from
scratch.
Innovation and determination
were required to make the venture a success, and early strategies included
branded sandwich bags in many local
sandwich shops and roadside burger vans, and offering Marks and Spencer’s
vouchers to encourage customers to give the new services a try. The vouchers
clearly hit the spot because customers were still arriving to redeem them up to
four years later!
With the growth in demand for
vehicles and services over the years, more space was commandeered, first in the
dealership and then “satellite workshops” were created. Most recently a mobile
service was added to the inventory, so that technicians can help customers with
issues whilst out on the road.
Recognition for the team’s
expertise and customer service excellence followed, as VW Van Centre Liverpool were
named “Dealer of the Year” by Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles UK four times in a
row, and have featured in the top ten for every year they have been in
operation.
Ten years on and three of the
original team of five remain, John Kilby. Assistant Head of Business, Rob
Glover, Sales Executive, and Chris Evans, Sales Manager.
John Kilby had this to say
about a decade with VWVC Liverpool.
“It’s been a great privilege
to be part of the success of VWVC Liverpool. It’s so much more than a business,
as we are really part of the local community here. We are so proud of all the
local talent we continue to develop through our Apprenticeship Programmes, many
of whom have stayed with us to continue to build their careers.
Another personal highlight for
me was when we sponsored the Springwood Panthers during 2013, where we contributed
to League fees and replacement kits and gave this under 11 football team a much
needed boost to their activities.
There is no doubt that hard
work and enthusiasm has been a great part of our success, this combined with working
for a family owned business, where the Directors show great faith in us and
allow us huge autonomy. We have a long-term, stable team here, where delegation
and mutual respect are the norm. We invest heavily in training so that we know
that we have the right people, with the right skills, in the right roles. And
our focus is always on the customer. After that, the results speak for
themselves.”
Peter Smyth, Swansway Group
Director said,
“I am so proud of the
performance that VW Van Centre Liverpool has consistently delivered over the
years, resulting in its impressive national standing. Great credit must go to
the team for all their hard work and commitment, to develop such thriving and
successful business. Ten years is an important milestone for us, and it is a
testament to the team’s skill and customer service excellence that we have achieved
it.
We are also very grateful to
all our customers for all their support over the years. And we expect to continue
to deliver products and services of the very highest standards for many years
to come.”
About Volkswagen Van Centre Liverpool:
VW
Van Centre Liverpool is part of Swansway Group which has 23 dealerships and one
accident repair centre, from Birmingham in the Midland to Carlisle in the
North. It represents Volkswagen, Audi, Land Rover, Jaguar, SEAT, CUPRA,
Peugeot, Honda and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, plus operates 5 Motor Match
non-franchise locations.
The family dealer group was founded in 2003 by Michael Smyth and is now run by him and his three sons.