The 2022 AM Award for Independent Workshop of the Year has been won by S&R Miller.

Wigan-based S&R Miller has built its reputation as a Volkswagen and Audi Group (VAG) specialist since the business was established by husband and wife duo Stuart and Rachel Miller in September 2015.

The workshop specialises in tyres, repairs, performance tuning and diagnostics and such is the expertise available that it has become a five-star hit with reviews online and has seen customers travelling to the Bradley Lane site from as far as Devon. Its positive reputation has also spread to other garages and dealers in the area.

S&R Miller carries out work for Arnold Clark, Evans Halshaw, The Chorley Group and Stoneacre. Each of them regularly uses the garage’s expertise for diagnostics, manufacturer programming, coding and calibrations.

S&R Miller has built a genuine rapport with its loyal customers who love the quality of service they are consistently provided. This is reflected in its customer retention rate of 66%.

The Millers run the workshop control together and have expanded the scope of the business over the years to a team of five.

Turnover has grown by 171% since 2019 and is forecasting further growth of 40% year-on-year in 2022. Most importantly the business has continued to be profitable in the last three years and is due to increase its operating profits by 86% in 2022, representing a big leap in success for the business after putting in the work to slowly build a stable foundation for growth.

S&R Miller has a team of technicians from varying backgrounds where they have been able to create a comprehensive sounding board to solve any VAG servicing issue.

The company has continued to invest in equipment to service the latest vehicles and training its technicians towards electric vehicle and hybrid qualifications to cater for future products.

The next stage of growth for S&R Miller is for Stuart to step away from the tools and focus on growing and marketing the business to an even wider audience.

Finalists:

• CCM
• Meadowfield Auto Centre
• Redgate Lodge
• S & R Miller