Leslies Suzuki Newport claimed Suzuki GB’s Dealer of the Year award at a ceremony hosted during the Japanese brand’s annual dealer conference in Budapest, Hungary.

The annual awards recognise outstanding achievements and long service by dealerships within Suzuki GB’s 157 strong UK-wide network and include recognition of retailers’ long-standing commitment to the brand.

Prior to the awards, all dealerships were evaluated using the same criteria, including the percentage of target sales achieved, finance penetration percentage, the Sales Customer Satisfaction Index (CSI), the Service CSI, the number of parts sold, and the quantity of accessories sold and returned on sales percentage.

The overall Dealer of the Year accolade was awarded to Leslie’s Suzuki in Newport on the Isle of Wight, which scored the highest total across the categories.

The Outstanding Achievement Award for customer retention was given to Eastbourne Suzuki in East Sussex, meanwhile, whie the accolade for customer experience was bestowed to Philip Petersen in Bangor, Northern Ireland.

Surrey’s TW White & Sons and the Chapel House Motor Group in St Helens in Merseyside collected the top prizes for parts and retail sales respectively.

Hilton Suzuki based in Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire, received the Outstanding Achievement Award for its strong Suzuki finance performance.

The trophies handed out on the night were presented by Suzuki GB director of Automobile, Dale Wyatt, and aftersales director, Denis Houston.

Wyatt said: “We would like to congratulate our Dealers of the Year on their achievements, and for their hard work and dedication that they have shown during the past 12 months.

“Their service and commitment has been crucial to Suzuki’s success this year, and we are equally proud to have so many long-serving franchises within our network.

“This is a solid foundation on which to build as we go into 2019.”

In total, 20 dealerships were recognised for their long-standing commitment to Suzuki as part of the awards night, with one showroom celebrating three decades with the brand, and a further 13 commemorating 20 and 25 years of holding the franchise.

The full roll of long-service awards winners were:

10 years

Glyn Hopkin Watford (Hertfordshire)

J & J Motors Bridgend (South Wales)

Monty’s of Sheffield (South Yorkshire)

Ponthir Road Suzuki (South Wales)

Sparshatts of Fareham (Hampshire)

15 years

Threeways Garage (Conwy)

20 years

Border Cars, Carlisle (Cumbria)

Builth Wells Garages (Powys)

Cropleys Suzuki (Lincolnshire)

Hodgson Suzuki (Tyne and Wear)

Pearsons of Largs (North Ayrshire)

Pearsons of Wemyss Bay (Renfrewshire)

Stoneacre Suzuki, Ackworth (Yorkshire)

25 years

Autosales, Bilston (West Midlands)

Blackshaws Garages (Northumberland)

Fawdingtons Garage (Northumberland)

Motor Mall (Guernsey)

Motor Mall (Jersey)

Pentraeth Automotive (Renfrewshire)

30 years

Brentwood Motor Company (Fife)