The winner of Franchised Dealership of the Year at the 2022 AM Awards is Lexus Cambridge, part of Steven Eagell Group.

A focus on staff motivation and people was at the heart of the AM Award-winning entry from this year’s Franchised Dealership of the Year.

In 2021 Steven Eagell Group set out with the aim of ensuring that Lexus Cambridge’s 2020 profit – its first under its near four-year ownership – was not a “flash in the pan” or the result of COVID-triggered market forces.

But it was the adoption of a strategy which focussed on easing the pressure on staff, in a bid to create a working environment primed to succeed, that gained praise from the AM Awards judges.

A “customer second, people first” approach pioneered by Lexus Cambridge resulted in an investment in resource.

A new general manager was joined by an additional new sales controller, allowing the sales teams to be split in to two separately led entities in a move which meant each team member could enjoy every other weekend off.

An additional service advisor and parts manager were also recruited as, centrally, Steven Eagell Group took its renewals team from two to seven to ease the prospecting burden on sales staff.

Customers also benefited as Lexus Cambridge aimed to build on 2020’s overall dealership CSI score of 91.1%.

Its staff were able to commit more time and thought to customer satisfaction as a partnership with a nearby David Lloyd gym was developed to facilitate collection and drop-off from the facility for members as non-members gained complimentary day passes.

As a result, the Lexus Engagement Survey revealed Lexus Cambridge’s Net Promoter Score had risen from 53% in 2020 to 77% in 2021 while its CSI rose to 92.5%.

A 47% increase in sales leads, meanwhile, helped the business achieve a near-20% increase in profit before tax in 2021 and the Centre of the Year at the Lexus Centre of Excellence awards.

Shortlist

  • Blackshaws
  • Hatfields Jaguar Shrewsbury
  • Hatfields Land Rover Pickering
  • Lexus Cambridge (Steven Eagell Group)
  • Marshall BMW Mini Motorrad Grimsby
  • Peter Vardy Porsche Centre Aberdeen

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