9:11 am, October 9, 2013
HARRATTS Motor Group has announced increased sales of both new and used cars, helping to support its investment in a new apprenticeship scheme and infrastructure.
Based in Wakefield, the family-owned motor group runs 13 dealerships and employs 300 staff members across Yorkshire and has seen new car sales increase by 30 per cent compared to 2012 and used cars sales up by 100 cars over the same period.
These results are reflective of a range of new investments in staff and infrastructure, says the company, and the group is now leading a major initiative with Learning Skills Partnership to create a number of new roles within the business.
Initially taking on 26 apprenticeships for local 16 to 18-year-olds, the new ‘Product Geniuses’ have been employed by Harratts to gain practical work experience and receive both sales and product training.
Two new employees will be based at each dealership across Yorkshire, giving them the qualifications they need to start their careers within the group.
In August, Harratts also invested in its digital infrastructure, which saw the introduction of a new website and intranet software system, enabling individual dealerships to access central marketing assets.
Developed by Razsor the site is fully optimised for smartphones and includes live Twitter feed and social sharing buttons. It’s also equipped with a finance calculator to provide instant quotes for consumers.
Managing director of Harratts, Shaun Harratt, said: ‘Having looked at our sales figures for the year so far, we’re really pleased to see the business outperforming 2012 across both new and used car sales.
‘By incorporating improvements as part of a long-term strategy to move Harratts towards a more structured, process driven group, we are now seeing the benefits of those changes.’
He added: ‘With investment in both infrastructure and our new apprenticeship scheme, these new initiatives will help Harratts maintain our already recognised five star customer service and continue to improve sales year-on-year.’
