Steven Eagell Toyota branches in Colchester and Ipswich have celebrated winning the prestigious Toyota Ichiban Award.

Each year, over 2,500 European Toyota retailers across 34 markets compete to win one of only 47 Ichiban Awards.

Ichiban comes from the Japanese ‘okyakusama ichiban’, which means ‘customer first’. Both Steven Eagell Colchester and Ipswich received the award for providing outstanding customer service and demonstrating a commitment to going the extra mile for their customers.

To celebrate the achievements of staff at both branches, the company organised a special event for all Colchester and Ipswich employees, along with their family members and some of their long-standing customers. They were joined by the senior management team from Steven Eagell Group and Toyota (GB) PLC.

CEO, Steven Eagell and Agustín Martín, president and managing director of Toyota (GB), presented employees from the winning branches with their exclusive pin badges to commemorate the award.

This was followed by lunch and a range of fun activities including a driving simulator competition, with the winner getting the chance to take on Rory Butcher, current Toyota Gazoo Racing UK British Touring Car Championship driver in a three-lap shootout.