Phoenix takes treble top at car industry awards

Well-known Scottish car retailer and Mitsubishi dealer Phoenix has romped home with an impressive hat trick of awards from the trade publication AM Magazine. The prestigious awards were presented during a ceremony at Birmingham’s ICC last week in front of a 1,200-strong motor trade audience.

The undoubted star prize of them all – Retailer of the Year award – together with the Retail Group (Up to 10 sites) award were presented to the Phoenix group as a whole, while the company’s Mitsubishi dealership scooped the coveted Retail Group (More than £10m turnover) award.

This is not the first time Phoenix has received recognition, having in previous years won the AM Magazine New Start Business, Volume Dealership and Marketing awards, as well as a host of other accolades from manufacturers since the group was set up in 1993.

“As well as recognising what we have achieved so far, these awards will inspire us to provide the best possible service to all our customers in the future,” says Phoenix Group Managing Director John McGuire, who was also Scottish Businessman of the Year in 2004.

The performance of Phoenix Mitsubishi, headed up by Director and Dealer Principal John Moore, was particularly praised. Since joining in 2001, John has turned it into one of the Phoenix Group’s most profitable divisions. It has now achieved a local market share almost 10 times that of Mitsubishi’s national average. Moreover, in the year up to January 2007, it broke through the £500,000 profit mark for the first time.

“It’s incredibly rewarding for Phoenix Mitsubishi to be acknowledged in this way,” he says. “We see this award as recognition for all the hard work by everyone at the dealership.”

Since opening its 10,000 square foot showroom in Paisley in 1997, Phoenix Mitsubishi has won numerous Scottish and UK Dealer of the Year awards from Mitsubishi itself. It now also boasts annual sales of more than £16m. Phoenix Mitsubishi has recently expanded and opened for business in Stirling earlier this year.