RIDGEWAY boss John O’Hanlon has issued a personal statement following today’s announcement that his company has been bought by Marshall Motor Holdings for £106.9 million.
As Car Dealer reported first thing this morning, the acquisition sees Marshall move from being the 10th to the seventh largest motor dealer group in the UK and has been hailed by boss Daksh Gupta as being ‘truly transformational’ for the firm he runs.
Meanwhile, O’Hanlon, who took part in a discussion with other dealer group bosses at CDX on Tuesday, wrote a personal post on LinkedIn to say ‘a huge thank you to everyone who has been involved with Ridgeway over the last 18 years – our teams, our suppliers, our brand partners and our customers’.
He added: ‘I am immensely proud to have worked with [chairman] David Newman, and our directors, to build a group from the two sites in 1997 to a £750m multi-brand operation. I have made many contacts over the years through Ridgeway that I now consider to be close personal friends.
‘We had a little saying that Ridgeway wasn’t a company… it was a cause… and that is truly how I felt about it. Our own brand (the Uffington white horse) became affectionately known as “Dobbin”, and I was proud to have him on my lapel.
‘We built a business based on honesty, transparency and trust. And with a focus on innovation and performance that allowed us to deliver a return that gave us security and the ability to invest in the future.
‘We consistently focused on getting better… and the #gtg (good to great) reminded us that there was always an opportunity to improve. The creation of the Ridgeway Academy gave us a real competitive edge in recruitment, retention and driving real change into the business.
‘I wish Daksh, and the team at Marshalls, every success for the future with Ridgeway.
‘On a personal level, I am going to take a little time off and recharge the batteries before deciding on what the future holds.
‘In summary, it’s been a blast…it’s been emotional… and I’ve loved every minute of it! Thank you all!’
Our picture shows John O’Hanlon, left, with Ridgeway chairman David Newman
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