7:00 am, April 22, 2022
Vindis Group has launched a partnership with reforestation organisation Tree-Nation that will see the dealership chain plant a tree for every vehicle that it sells.
The announcement today (Apr 22) coincides with Earth Day 2022, with the family-run car retailer saying it is part of its commitment to become a sustainable net zero organisation by 2030.
Every new and used vehicle delivered across Vindis dealerships will see a tree planted in one of the group’s chosen schemes worldwide, including Eden Projects in Madagascar and Nepal, forest conservation initiatives in France and Thailand, plus Trees for Tigers in India.
Each customer will be invited by Tree-Nation to plant a tree in the project aligned with the vehicle brand that they bought from Vindis Group.
They’ll then get a certificate for each one planted on their behalf, as well as access to the virtual Vindis Group Forest detailing how many trees have been planted and the tonnes of offset CO2.
Vindis Group’s VW showroom in Huntingdon
Vindis Group managing director Jamie Vindis said: ‘This partnership between Vindis Group and Tree-Nation is a significant step forward in our ambition to become a net zero organisation by 2030.
‘Our mission began with an important switch to sustainable energy sources throughout the group and the continued reduction of our overall CO2 emissions by more than 10 per cent.
‘However, we believe that our work has only just begun, and there is much more that we can do as an industry and as a business for ourselves and our environment, and this partnership with Tree-Nation will enable our customers to share and contribute to this journey with us.’
Nicolas Branellec, Tree-Nation’s head of corporate partnerships, said: ‘Tree-Nation is proud to partner with Vindis Group as we work together to plant trees across the globe, helping support local communities and become more sustainable through CO2 offsetting.
‘By planting trees through the purchase of vehicles, their commitment and support of Tree-Nation will help us fight climate change and create awareness across their large customer base and, indeed, the car industry as a whole.’
The project will cover deliveries across the UK from its dealerships in Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, Suffolk, Bedfordshire, Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire.
Vindis Group was established in 1960 by former World War II Czech Spitfire pilot Frank Vindis with a dealership in Sawston, Cambridgeshire.
It now has some 17 showrooms representing Audi, Bentley, Cupra, Ducati, Seat, Skoda and Volkswagen.
Latest available accounts show it made a pre-tax loss of £911,270 in the year ended December 31, 2020 versus a loss of £1,993,355 the year before.
It received £3,493,623 under the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme in 2020 and benefited from an unspecified amount of rates relief as well.
Turnover dropped from £355.3m in 2019 to £292.1m in 2020.
