Swansway Group directors John and David Smyth, with Sophie Raworth and Mapfre Abraxas’ Steve Burgess

 

Swansway Garages is a family-owned group forged on integrity and based on the bedrock of great staff. With 17 dealerships, in a mix of premium and volume franchises, the business prides itself on having genuine partnerships with its brands and workforce. The Smyth family, which owns and operates the business, says this inclusion and openness is what sets Swansway apart.

The company’s successes in 2013 include rising to 37th in the Sunday Times Best Companies To Work For and it ranked 16th in the Great Places To Work survey. It is solidly profitable and growing strongly – new car volumes rose by 16% and used car volumes by 34%.

	Best Retail Group (more than 10 sites)

It was courted by Citroën and Fiat to take on their Chester businesses in 2013, it has the only Audi market area compliant with its 2020 Vision corporate identity programme and it is an extremely strong performer in sales and customer satisfaction.

Customer satisfaction scores, accounts, sales and aftersales growth, and finance and add-on penetration all show Swansway is a growing business that evolves to remain well ahead of the average motor retailer.

Performance by site is transparent, with real-time “Must Know TV” showing KPIs at each site. Traffic light colours indicate whether that day’s performance is above, near or below plan. Staff are also clear on their own contribution and performance. The environment is supportive and rewarding to staff who deliver for the business, which attracts high-quality recruits.

The business is underpinned by its ethos of “caring, honest and proud” and focuses on the quality and development of its people, with a belief that with customer delight, repeat business and growth will all follow.

At its head is a board with enthusiasm and management skill. Innovation, technological development, systems and infrastructure are high on the agenda, giving staff the best environment to succeed.

Highly commended: Arnold Clark Automobiles

Also shortlisted: Ford Retail

Previous winners: Lifestyle Europe (2011) Day’s Motor Group (2012) Swansway Garages (2013)

Category sponsored by Mapfre Abraxas.