Hendy Group’s has completed the reopening of aftersales operations across its entire South coast operating area - eight weeks after COVID-19 lockdown began.

The Hampshire-based AM100 car retail group has now opened all its aftersales departments after initially keeping four sites open for essential maintenance to key worker vehicles.

Pete Walker, group service director at Hendy Group, said: “Hendy has seen high demand from customers throughout the strict lockdown period.

“We have worked hard to ensure the dealerships are in keeping with the government guidelines on social distancing and we have been thorough in our approach bringing in all the necessary changes.”

Last week the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) teamed-up with the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders to publish an ‘Industry Guidance and Best Practice for Automotive Retail’ document. You can download a copy by clicking here.

Hendy Group, which is celebrating its 160th anniversary in 2020 and kicked off the year with a Group Awards event for its 2,000-strong workforce, said that it had introduced changes to its service centres to ensure it operates in-line with government guidelines. 

Customers will now be given a timeslot in which to come in for their service to reduce the number of people in waiting areas.

All aftersales departments and waiting areas will also feature clear signage to indicate two metre distances as well as hand sanitising stations to ensure the safety of customers and staff.

Where possible, all paperwork will be digital to avoid physical contact and all payments are requested to be by card rather than cash. Vehicle collection and delivery will be unavailable until further notice.

Hendy says that all customer vehicles will be thoroughly sanitised before collection using KleenAir Bio Steri-7, an product which claims to keep surfaces protected for up to seven days following application.

Walker said: “We have seen an incredibly high volume of enquiries from customers through our digital channels while our physical dealerships were closed.

"We’re looking forward to welcoming customers back through our doors and continuing to deliver a premium experience in person.”

To find out more about what to expect at the Hendy service centres, click here.