Mercedes-Benz dealer Bell Truck and Van opens new Wetherby facility
Truck and van operators in North Yorkshire have received a boost, with the opening of a new Mercedes-Benz service and used vehicle sales centre.
The facility is located on the Thorp Arch Industrial Estate, Wetherby, and was developed at a cost of £600,000. It is operated by Bell Truck and Van, the reigning Mercedes-Benz After Sales Dealer of the Year.
The 13-strong company team offer a range of repair and maintenance services from 7am until long into the night on weekdays, and on Saturday mornings as well. They also provide round-the-clock Mercedes-Benz Service 24h emergency roadside assistance. Customers can also purchase Mercedes-Benz GenuineParts over the counter, or request deliveries from Bell’s PartsExpress van.
Meanwhile, sales executive Nick Redman offers a selection of Approved Used trucks and vans from the award-winning Mercedes-Benz range, as well as FUSO Canter light trucks.
At the heart of the new building – Unit 727, Avenue E West – is a comprehensively equipped workshop with four van bays and a pair of full-length truck bays with a ramps, compressors and high-tech diagnostic equipment. The team of eight factory-trained technicians and a service advisor report to After Sales Manager Jason Gilliot.
“We decided to open this facility following requests from some of our customers, who were looking for more localised back-up,” says Bell Truck and Van’s Group After Sales Manager Gavin Hewitt. “Those nearer to our heartland in the North-East also felt they could benefit from having a depot close to the A1, their main artery to the south.”
Gavin continues: “The response, since we opened, has been extremely positive. We’re already increasing our workshop hours and staffing levels to meet the demand, while the parts business has really taken off, so much so that we’re now looking to recruit an additional parts advisor.”
He adds: “This development will allow us to provide truck and van operators with the exacting levels of service for which Mercedes-Benz is renowned, and underlines Bell Truck and Van’s long-term commitment to the brand and its customers.”
Bell Truck and Van has represented Mercedes-Benz in the North-East since 1974, and now employs a total of 200 people at six sites across the region. In addition to its Wetherby depot the company also sells and supports Mercedes-Benz and FUSO Canter commercial vehicles from dealerships in Newcastle-upon-Tyne, Gateshead, Spennymoor, Billingham and Stockton.
Bell Truck and Van was awarded the Mercedes-Benz After Sales Dealer of the Year trophy at a ceremony in March. David Joyce, former Customer Services Director, Commercial Vehicles, for Mercedes-Benz, hailed “the superb efforts” it had made to deliver the highest standards of care to all customers.