WARRINGTON-based Halliwell Jones Group has opened a new £5.5m service centre in Chester.
The Group, which has a dealership in Southport and four more across the North West of England and Wales, used a £7.6m loan granted by the Manchester corporate banking centre (CBC) of The Co-operative Bank to extend and improve their dealerships in Chester, Southport and Warrington.
The most significant part of the expansion phase completed recently with the opening of a state-of-the-art service centre and body shop in Chester on a new 4.3 acre plot.
Featuring 26 service and two MOT bays, the new site increases the company’s service capacity by over 250%. Over the last 12 months the company employee numbers have increased by 10% as the Group prepared for the new operation.
The new site features a three lane internal drive-through reception area for customers, who are then welcomed by Halliwell Jones staff, and has a 45 foot video wall to keep customers informed of all the latest products available.
Halliwell Jones Group finance director Glyn Howes, said: “We are very grateful for the support of The Co-operative Bank and the team at the Manchester corporate banking centre, who have backed our business strategy.
“This is an exciting time for the Group, in particular with the expansion at Chester. Success can bring certain challenges and the new development at Chester allows us to deliver the excellent quality of customer service that we aim for. We are now operating more efficiently, but also creating more jobs. We now employ over 350 staff, with turnover expected to break the £240m barrier in 2013.
“We are always looking to grow the number of dealerships we have, but our recent investments clearly demonstrate that we are focussed on improving our existing business too.”
Halliwell Jones, which celebrated its 25 year anniversary in December 2012, opened a new MINI dealership in Southport in April 2012 which was followed in August 2012 by the doubling in size of the MINI dealership at the Warrington site.
New centre for Halliwell Jones
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Gary Skentelbery
Experienced journalist for more than 40 years. Managing Director of magazine publishing group with three in-house titles and on-line daily newspaper for Warrington. Experienced writer, photographer, PR consultant and media expert having written for local, regional and national newspapers. Specialties: PR, media, social networking, photographer, networking, advertising, sales, media crisis management. Chair of Warrington Healthwatch Director Warrington Chamber of Commerce Patron Tim Parry Johnathan Ball Foundation for Peace. Trustee Warrington Disability Partnership. Former Chairman of Warrington Town FC.
