Top 20 AM100 group, Ridgeway, which has seen a meteoric growth expanding from just six outlets in 2007 to 32 in 2014, is about to launch its own training and development centre – Ridgeway Academy.

John O’Hanlon, Ridgeway’s chief executive, said: “We are delighted to be delivering the Ridgeway Academy, and the goals are clear; to aid us working towards our vision of delivering a customer centric culture, operational excellence and be recognised as an employment destination.

"We know our markets are getting more competitive, and the key way to stay ahead of the competition is to have the best teams available.”

The Ridgeway Academy will be led by training manager, Ashley Wiltshire, and will deliver bespoke training for each individual within Ridgeway across modules including sales process, impact skills, vehicle handover, finance plus a staff induction, managers and aftersales programmes.

O'Hanlon said: “Through the launch of the Ridgeway Academy we will provide our people with the skills that they require in order to be the very best they can be. This enables Ridgeway colleagues to excel in their roles and further develop their careers with us.”

The Ridgeway Academy is based in Cumnor, Oxfordshire and serves 1,200 colleagues across Ridgeway dealers in Berkshire, Oxfordshire, Wiltshire, Hampshire, Dorset and West Sussex.