7:56 am, September 6, 2024
He’s a TV star with millions of fans all over the world but the used motor trade remains Mike Brewer’s first love.
The Wheeler Dealers host is perhaps the most famous car salesman in the UK and recent years have seen him go back to his roots.
Two years ago, the 60-year-old set up One Automotive in Warwickshire, following a chance encounter while filming a segment for Wheeler Dealers.
Speaking at the inaugural Car Dealer Podcast Live, sponsored by Motorway, Brewer explained that he had previously had no intentions of ‘going again’.
However, when he bought a M1I Volkswagen Golf from dealer James Elkinton, the pair got chatting and eventually decided to go into business.
The two men, along with Brewer’s wife, Michelle, are the directors of One Automotive, which is now selling around 50 vehicles a month.
Explaining how the business came to be, Brewer told Car Dealer: ‘It was the last thing I expected in my life. We already have a very successful television program – Wheeler Dealers – that’s just been on its world tour. I’m always busy and flat out making that.
‘If I’m not doing that, I’m hosting live events at weekends and I have a finger on the pulse of what happens at Mike Brewer Motors up in Sheffield. That’s a busy, big operation that now is automatic. It runs itself after 12 years, which is fantastic.
‘The last thing I expected was to go again. I really didn’t want to go again but I did have a beautiful building that was housing my lovely private car collection.
‘It’s a nice space. On Wheeler Dealers I did a little feature where I bought a Volkswagen Golf Mark 1 off of a young man called James. I went to his little car site that was on the edge of a farm unit.
‘I went to his farm site, they were doing commercial vehicles at the same time, and I got talking to James whilst I was buying the Golf and this little piece in my brain was just going “This is the guy. You said you don’t want to do it again, but this is the guy that you could do it with. This guy’s speaking exactly what you want to hear if you were to go and reinvest in the motor trade again”.
‘I came home, consulted Michelle and she said ‘Absolutely, let’s do it, let’s get him down there”.
‘We invited James down to the building. He walked in, I said, “Could you sell vehicles from here?” he said “absolutely” and the rest is history really.
‘We started just over two years ago and I’m quite pleased with the way it’s gone. We’ve turned over several million pounds in that period of time. It’s a very busy operation.
We’re consistently doing somewhere between 40 and 50 vehicles a month out of the space. It’s only 5,000 square foot. But we’ve adapted. Me, James and Michelle have adopted a mentality to the business that is perfect.’
‘I’m good at being in the motor trade’
Speaking at a packed out Milton Hill House in Oxfordshire, Brewer was keen to point out that One Automotive is no hands-off venture.
A peak at his social media will demonstrate the star’s commitment to the business and he certainly isn’t afraid of mucking in and doing the dirty work.
As part of the podcast, he explained that he continues to love working in the motor trade, despite being in a position to take his foot off the throttle.
He added: ‘I absolutely love it. It’s not too far from the house, which is good, and as I’ve previously said, Michelle’s got a foot up my a**e, so it’s quite nice to escape!
‘I go and hang out with James because he normalises me. I get there, somebody throws a rag in my hand and says “give that screen a wipe” or “can you give us a lift down at the MOT centre?”.
James and Michelle from One Automotive
‘It actually just normalises me and it’s what I’m good at. I’m good at being in the motor trade.
‘I’m good at talking to people and just being around. I absolutely blooming love it. I really do love it.
‘I’m at a stage now in my life and my career, I could throttle off and just cruise but no, I’m now flat out.
‘I wake up every morning and I’m sort of excited to get to get to the unit – get to the car site. Mow when the TV people ring, I’m like, “oh God, really?”.’
