by Tom Leaning
The achievements of individuals and dealerships were celebrated at Swift Group’s inaugural Awards evening this week that culminated with the prized ‘Dealership of the Year’ awards.
The awards night was introduced following the launch of Swift’s Approved Dealer Programme last year, to recognise the accomplishments that have been delivered by dealers during the year.
Managing Director, James Turner welcomed guests, most notably Swift’s dealers, along with key suppliers and finance houses. The evening concluded with an inspirational talk from Olympian and World Champion athlete Derek Redmond.
The Approved Dealer Programme was launched to strengthen Swift’s partnership with its dealer network with the aim of continually enhancing customer experience. The programme is built
around seven customer-centric key performance indicators which are monitored throughout the year. Training packages are delivered to support each dealership’s development with
training provided through the Swift Academy: a physical training centre at their Cottingham site and an online learning platform.
The awards were split into four main categories; Customer Service Recognition Awards, Technical Training Awards, Mystery Shop Awards and Dealer of the Year Awards. All the winners are detailed below.
Swift Approved Dealer Programme Award Winners
Individual awards:
- Customer Service Recognition Award for Sales 2017
Ian Garioch at Dee Valley Caravan - Customer Service Recognition Award for Service 2017
Catherine Jenkins at Tamar Towing Centre - Best Mystery Shop 2017
Mark Tricker at Tyneside Leisure World
Richard Stout at Grantham Caravans
Gary Rigby at Broad Lane Leisure (Alcester) - Swift Academy Star for Technical Training
Chrys Pappas at Brayford Leisure - Swift Academy Star for Online Training
Howard Waudby at Wandahome (South Cave)
Dealership awards:
- Motorhome Dealership of the Year 2017
Swift turnover up to £2m
Kimberley Caravans and Motorhomes - Motorhome Dealership of the Year 2017
Swift turnover £2m-£5m
AEG Motorhomes - Motorhome Dealership of the Year 2017
Swift turnover above £5m
Brownhills Motorhomes - Touring Caravan Dealership of the Year 2017
Swift turnover up to £1m
Tamar Towing Centre - Touring Caravan Dealership of the Year 2017
Swift turnover between £1m-£4m
Broad Lane Leisure (Leek Wooton) - Touring Caravan Dealership of the Year 2017
Swift turnover above £5m
Lowdhams Leisureworld (Nottingham) - Overall Customer Satisfaction Award 2017
Couplands Caravans - Overall Training Award 2017
MG Caravans - Rising Star of the Year 2017
Teesside Caravans
Deputy MD Amy Archer commented: “Congratulations to all our winners. We are thrilled with the successes achieved across our dealer network. The Approved Dealer Programme was introduced to enable dealers to identify opportunities for business improvement and then support their implementation of change through training via the Swift Academy. We are delighted with how dealers have engaged with the programme, it has strengthened our partnership even further, and will ultimately deliver a more prosperous future.”
A new phase of the Dealer Approved Programme for the 2018 season was also unveiled at the Swift Dealer Conference earlier in the day.
