10:15 am, July 14, 2023
Swansway directors Peter, John and David Smyth have revealed the ethos behind their successful family car dealer business.
In the first episode of a new special series, the Smyths talk to the Car Dealer Inspiring Podcast, sponsored by Mann Island Finance, which launches today.
The new series is available as a podcast on Spotify, Apple Podcasts or your favourite podcast platform.
The recording has also been published on YouTube which you can watch at the top of this post.
The Smyth brothers talk about how they rose up through the ranks in the family business and why they love the car industry.
They give advice on how others can successfully rise up the ladder in a car dealership and reveal the important lessons they have learned along the way.
The podcast is designed to inspire the next generation of car dealer leaders by talking to some of the most successful people currently operating in the industry.
Over the coming months, Car Dealer will be talking to some of the greatest car dealership bosses in the business.
Swansway was started by the Smyth brothers’ father, Michael, in 2003. He was handed the Lifetime Achievement Award at our Used Car Awards in 2020.
When Michael started the firm, he already had more than 35 years’ experience in the motor trade.
He began in the industry in 1967 by establishing Radcliffe Road Garage in Bolton where he had five mechanics fixing cars and selling fuel.
He successfully expanded his fuel sales business before buying a Toyota dealership in 1970, which eventually became RRG. That business was eventually sold on.
Over the years he dabbled in automotive retail technology and leasing but then started the Swansway business with a partnership with VW. Michael was eventually joined by his three sons who chat to us for this episode.
Swansway prides itself on being family-run and these days represents Audi, Jaguar Land Rover, Honda, Peugeot, Seat and Volkswagen in the north west.
The firm also runs a VW commercial vehicle centre, an accident repair site and a number of Motor Match used car dealerships.
Last year, the business made £22.3m profit despite a marginal fall of revenue on the previous year to £819m.
In last year’s Car Dealer Top 100 – our list of the most profitable car dealer groups – Swansway ranked 16th.
You can listen to what the brothers think on all good podcast platforms now or watch the video on YouTube.
