AM100 dealer group Lifestyle Europe marked its 10th birthday last month.

In 10 years in business it has grown from three Ford showrooms to now occupy 10 locations in Kent, Surrey and Sussex selling Fords, Mazdas, Renaults, Subarus and Isuzus and have 428 staff.

To mark its 10th birthday, chairman Marc Matthew and managing director Peter Isted presented every member of staff with a bottle of champagne and cut a celebration birthday cake.

Marc Matthew said: "The last 10 years have seen some interesting times, certainly economic upheaval, and we are extremely proud of the achievements we have made at Lifestyle. We wanted to mark the occasion and also take the opportunity to thank our team members, who have worked really hard over the past decade.

"Since the creation of Lifestyle Europe in May 2001, through a management buyout of the Ford Division of the national dealer group, HMG Holdings, we’re proud to say that we’ve managed to build on a loyal customer base by delivering a personal, customer focused service – and it’s down to a combination of our people and our business philosophy."

Other achievements over the last 10 years for the company include an impressive list of award successes.

The most recent of these was at the prestigious AM Awards 2011. Lifestyle Europe beat off stiff competition to triumph in this award scheme for the fourth successive year, winning the coveted Retailer of the Year and Best Retail Group (with more than 10 sites).