Normally when one thinks of smart vehicle showrooms with comfortable seating and hospitality areas it is common to think of passenger cars, sometimes of the more upmarket variety. However one company has broken into this scene with smart new premises aimed specifically at the commercial vehicle market.
Imperial Commercials is the largest independent commercial vehicle dealer group in the UK, as well as being the largest DAF Trucks Dealer Group in the UK. The company has 21 DAF Trucks dealerships, together with 26 sites in the UK and a head office in High Wycombe.
It is owned by Imperial Holdings SA with approximately 34,500 employees worldwide in a group that began as a motor dealer in downtown Johannesburg in 1948. The annual turnover is in the region of £4 billion.
Regional director Matthew Lawrenson explains; “We have long been known for our large commercial vehicle sales and service, having celebrated our 50th anniversary in the spring of last year. Our other franchise partners are Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Ford Commercials, FIAT Professional, MAN Trucks, Renault Trucks, Nissan Commercial Vehicles, ISUZU Trucks and HINO Trucks.
However, we have recently branched out into sales of vans – we were in fact the largest distributor for LDV but we now hold franchises for Ford, Nissan, Volkswagen and FIAT vehicles.”
Imperial has been on its 17-acre site on the A52 at Mackworth, just outside Derby for 50 years. Two years ago, the company opened a Volkswagen commercial vehicle franchise there. Now, Imperial has built a new commercial vehicle showroom on the site at a cost of £1 million. Covering 550m2, it has taken 16 weeks to build and opened in October 2011. It is said to be the first of its kind in the UK and is a new conceptual design and the first for Volkswagen anywhere in Europe.
It has enabled the company to take on more staff, beginning with just five in October 2009, rising to a current level of 12. Along with the recent expansion, Imperial is proud of winning employer of the year in the East Midlands for the last two years for its apprenticeship program and is now recognised as one of the top 100 providers in the country.
The new showroom has the ability to display five vehicles and includes a hospitality area, service administration, sales team and manager’s office. The building itself is glazed on three sides, is fully air-conditioned and is light and airy.
It can accommodate vehicles ranging from a smaller Volkswagen Caddy van up to a Transporter van, a Volkswagen Amorak pickup, the new 4×4 vehicle, the Volkswagen Combi and even lifestyle vehicles such as 7- and 8-seater Caravelles up to the luxury California leisure vehicle.
The overall site is literally a one-stop shop for commercial vehicle users, with its van dealerships, truck distributors and a tacho bay, accident repair facilities and paint shop. There is also a VOSA accredited ATF line to carry out MOT’s for commercial vehicles. Imperial also owns Mackworth Vehicle Conversions Specialist.
This company builds commercial vehicle bodies, such as three-way tippers, muck-shifters, flat sides and curtain sided on both light and heavy commercial vehicles. Another recent acquisition is MIX Vehicle Conversions, which was recently moved to the site from Minworth in Warwickshire. It converts light commercial vehicles typically used by the utility companies.
For further information please telephone 01332 825312 or visit www.imperialcommercials.co.uk
