Fifth year of growing profit marks Ron Brooks Group’s 60th anniversary

Ron Brooks Group has been able to celebrate a fifth consecutive year of rising profits in its 60th anniversary year.

The Ilkeston-based Toyota and Suzuki franchisee delivered a 10.9% increase in new and used car sales to push turnover growth from £34.2 million to £47.8m in the 12-month period to June 30, 2022, as pre-tax profits improved by around 20% to £1.51m (2021: £1.25m).

The positive news came seven months after the death of group co-founder Elsie Brooks who was celebrated as a “special lady with strong principles” following her passing at the age of 92 in August last year.

Commenting on Ron Brooks Group’s 2022 financial performance, group director Tom Slack said: “Ron Brooks has now had five years of consecutive record profit growth, which has also seen turnover almost double.

“This is without any acquisition, which shows the strength of our underlying business model to outperform the market in every circumstance.

“Clearly, the automotive industry has enjoyed some tailwinds as of late - but our long-term record of outperforming the market outside of this and every year either side of COVID gives us tremendous confidence.”

Ron Brooks’ 2022 accounts showed that the business had paid £2.69m in wages and salaries – a slight rise on 2021’s £2.12m – but showed that it ended the year with almost £5m in cash reserves.

Last year the business secured Toyota’s Ichiban Award for customer service.

Slack said: “This year has been difficult for the business, as we saw the passing of Elsie Brooks, the co-founder of our business which is now over 60 years old; and one of which manufacturer we have represented for 50 years.

“That said, we are pleased of all our colleagues' efforts to ensure the business continues to deliver an unrelenting level of operational excellence and industry leading customer service."

Slack said the business was “exceptionally well placed” to navigate the car retail sector’s trading challenges in 2023.

“As a highly successful business, we continue to assess many opportunities for further growth,” he told AM.

“These have to be right for the business including the partnerships we consider.”