Activate Group (AGL) has announced the creation of a new body shop division - Activate Accident Repair - following a £3m investment and creating 200 jobs.
Fix Auto franchisee to develop new 13,000sq ft site Fix Auto’s Leeds South franchisees have completed the business’s relocation to a new 13,000 square foot site in the city. Owners Stephen and Sam Smith have equipped the new facility to carry out heavy and structurally damaged vehicle repairs alongside the express repairs the previous Leeds repair centre serviced. Two paint booths have been installed alongside a vehicle track-movement system to ensure the repair capacity is increased to 160 vehicles a month. However, the pair have now revealed the move is just a stepping stone after announcing new ambitious plans to develop a bespoke repair centre in the heart of the city. Plans have been submitted to develop a purpose-built 14,000 square foot centre on a recently-purchased 43,000 square foot brownfield site, which is close to the city’s arterial road network. Sam Smith said: “We had high hopes for our Leeds repair centre when we opened three years ago, but we never envisaged just how things would take off. “The high demand for repairs has been the driver behind relocating into a larger building, which gives us greater capacity for now. “This latest move is hopefully just a stepping stone until our plans to build our own new repair centre are complete. “If all goes well, we could be moving into our purpose-built repair centre by the end of 2020.” Ian Pugh of Fix Auto UK said: “Fix Auto Leeds is one of our many success stories. Establishing a business, relocating it and then revealing plans to develop a new site and all within three years is some going even by our franchisees’ standards. “You have to congratulate Sam and Stephen, it’s a great opportunity and I am looking forward to see how this one progresses over the coming months.”
H.R. Owen has announced that its Jack Barclay Bentley Service Centre has been named Bodyshop of the Year 2018 by Bentley Motors.
Fix Auto UK has announced that it acquired its first wholly owned independent repair centre, formerly Daventry Panel Craft.
Brexit could cause the closure of up to 1,000 vehicle repair outlets within a fortnight of Britain’s departure from the EU under a ‘no deal’ scenario, a meeting of the sector’s providers has suggested.
Vehicle manufacturers need to engage in greater levels of ‘calibration collaboration’ to deal with the rectification of new advanced driver assistance systems (ADAS), if they are to assure a swift turnaround of accident repair work and avoid ‘bodyshop backlogs.’
Car retailers with body shop facilities could cash-in next month as March tops the rankings of the year’s busiest for vehicle repairs and preparation, AX has reported.
The UK body repair sector is under threat from an industry-wide shortage of skills, according to a survey by Auto Body Projects and Trend Tracker.
The Vehicle Damage Assessor (VDA) Standard has been approved and published by the Institute of Apprenticeships, AutoRaise has announced.
ICDP, the international automotive distribution researchers, is predicting that the European crash repair market will reduce by 13% by 2030 as a result of new vehicle safety technology.
Vehicle repair group Nationwide has rewarded its high achievers with an expenses-paid weekend of sun, celebration and Porsche Carrera Cup racing in Italy.
Dangerous winter driving conditions doubled the amount of collisions in December, forcing Brits to purchase a new car.
Revive has expanded to the Isle of Wight, offering island-based motorists mobile bodywork and repair services.
Fix Auto UK has strengthened its head office management team with a trio of new appointments.
Jennings Motor Group has expanded its commercial with the acquisition of Nesmo Truck Bodies as part of an “ongoing expansion plan” in the Teeside region.
Changes to the way insurers categorise damaged vehicles which are salvaged will offer used car buyers a new way of finding out more about the history of cars.
Motor claims consultants Industry Insights has partnered with Autoglass BodyRepair as its mobile repair network partner.
The growth of electric and hybrid vehicles is set to fundamentally change the bodyshop landscape, according to Graham O’Neill, the CEO of ACIS.
Headley Bodyshop has been announced as the latest member of the Fix Auto network and will now operate as Fix Auto Newbury.
Damaged company cars can be guided by fleet management firm FMG to Tesco-based rapid-repair Xpress Centres for maximum convenience.
