John Mulholland Motors has been crowned as the Irish Regional Winners at the National Family Business of the year Awards 2017 after receiving praise for its "integrity and honesty".

The award is the latest accolade for the Antrim-based business, which claims to be the longest established Skoda retailer in Northern Ireland, after it became Skoda Retailer of the year in March.

Marketing manager Ryan Forsythe represented the Mulholland family at the glitzy award ceremony in Wembley Stadium. He said: “It was an absolute pleasure to represent the family and accept this award on their behalf.

“Having worked for the Mulholland Motor Group for most of my professional career I can testify to the family ethos instilled within the business, through our staff and ultimately the most important members of our family - our customers".

The Number One Family Business award was sponsored by the British and Irish Trading Alliance and presented by executive director Diane Birch, who explained how the judges came to their decision.

She said: "All of the finalists were exceptional, but after seeing video interviews with the candidates we immediately felt drawn to John Mulholland Motors.

“John spoke about the foundations of his business being integrity, honesty, the value of someone’s word, and the importance of a meritocracy.

“These are values that we ourselves hold in great esteem and we were proud to present them with the Ireland and Northern Ireland Judge’s Choice Award for Best Family Business."

The National Family Business Awards (previously known as the Red Ribbon Awards) is dedicated to discovering and recognising the most outstanding family businesses throughout all four corners of the UK and Ireland.

Managing director John Mulholland said: "This is a fantastic achievement for us to be voted the Number One Family Business in Ireland.

“A huge thank you must go to our amazing staff who continually strive to offer outstanding customer service and of course to our loyal customers.”