6:58 pm, February 5, 2021
Last year was doubly hard for Uttoxeter-based dealership Angus MacKinnon.
Not only did it have to contend with the trading challenges caused by the pandemic but it also suffered the tragedy of its namesake founder dying in May after a short illness.
So its accolade in this fiercely fought category shows just how determined it was not to be bowed or beaten.
It certainly impressed our mystery shoppers, who assessed its website, how it dealt with our inquiries plus its overall professionalism, and sales director Julian Stockton told us how thrilled it was to receive the prize as a result.
‘The managing director Stuart MacKinnon and all the staff are absolutely delighted to be recognised by Car Dealer in this very important category.
‘We have been working extremely hard over the past two to three years to improve our used car business.
‘This has resulted in increased car and van unit sales, finance and warranty sales, along with us now providing industry-leading customer satisfaction levels, as shown in our online reviews on Auto Trader, Google and Facebook.’
The dealership began life in 1975 at a small rented workshop next to a petrol station in Derbyshire, and as it expanded it moved a few miles and over the county border into Staffordshire.
Stockton added: ‘This means so much to us, especially as a family-run business for over 45 years.
‘It’s been a very tough 12 months for the company, the MacKinnon family and long-standing customers and staff coping through this unprecedented pandemic as well as losing our founder Angus MacKinnon – Stuart’s father.
‘But we are determined to keep improving and hopefully growing the business again once lockdowns are behind us.’
He felt the dealership’s ‘industry-leading customer satisfaction levels with hundreds of five-star reviews across multiple public platforms’ plus its ‘very high standards of vehicle preparation’ helped set it apart from others.
‘We will spend whatever it takes on a vehicle prior to sale so that the customer has no worries for the months following purchase and in most cases will have no money to spend on their new vehicle until the next MOT or service is required,’ he said.
‘Our average prep bill is £700 per car, as we feel we want more happy customers returning and telling all their friends and family to come to us too.’
Looking ahead, he said it simply planned to ‘survive Covid’, adding: ‘The business has been growing rapidly for two and a half years and then Covid arrived to put the growth brakes on.
‘So we want to get through the pandemic, bring all the staff back into the dealership and get back to growing our used car and van business. We also want to start looking seriously at the electric vehicle future.’
And he said of the Used Car Awards: ‘They’re absolutely fantastic! Recognition for doing a great job is hard to get. It’s just a shame we’re not all having a day out to celebrate!’
- W: angusmackinnon.co.uk
- T: 01889 563448
Find out who else has been recognised in the Car Dealer Used Car Awards 2020 here.
