Sales and support staff and Hendy Group have been honoured in the company’s annual Sales Awards.

The event followed a record year of trading, where the group sold more than 39,000 vehicles and launched four new dealerships.

Chief executive Paul Hendy said he was extremely proud of the contribution everyone makes to the success of the company.

The group has 57 franchise outlets and employs more than 1,100 people in Hampshire, Sussex, Surrey, Kent and Devon.

“There is great spirit, confidence and energy in Team Hendy and I now look forward to taking the company even further forward in 2019,” said Hendy.

The group is about to launch a dedicated FordStore in Eastleigh and work is underway on a brand new Car Store in Dorset.

The key Hall of Fame award was presented to

Alan Pritchard (pictured), who joined the company in 1998, received the key Hall of Fame Award.

He has worked across a number of dealerships and is now the Kia new sales manager at the company’s new site, Villeneuve Way in Eastleigh.

Pritchard said he was shocked to receive the award and paid tribute to everyone he had worked with over the last 21 years with Hendy.

There were awards for staff from across the group as sales teams celebrated at the Brighton Metropole Hotel with the evening hosted by TV comedian Rob Beckett.

The sales team from Renault, Dacia and Seat in Brighton was named team of the year, Naithan Pothecary from Portsmouth and Mark Allison from Eastbourne shared the honours of newcomer of the year and Lee Gunner was named sales manager of the year for his work in Portsmouth.