Former Eden Motor Group operations director joins Drive Motor Retail

Former Eden Motor Group operations director Mark Clifton will help Drive Motor Retail fulfil its ambition of becoming “a leading dealer group” after being appointed general manager of its Aldershot site.

Clifton, who spent more than 11 years at Eden, has joined the AM100 retail group as it looks to deliver growth at the sprawling Vauxhall site on Bakers Corner, Aldershot, through an increase in new and used car and van sales and an acceleration of its aftersales offering.

Drive Aldershot is one of the group’s largest sites and features a used car centre, recently rebranded under the company’s new drivedirect brand, alongside the Stellantis franchise.

Commenting on his career move, Clifton said: “I have worked in the motor trade since leaving school in a range of roles from apprentice technician, service manager, aftersales manager, sales manager and general manager.

“I was attracted to the role with Drive because I have seen from working in the industry that the group has a fantastic relationship with the manufacturers it represents and has built a great reputation over the years as an employer of choice.

“My first impressions of Drive are great. The company has a great family feel to it and I can see why we have so many long-serving colleagues here.”

He added: “The (Aldershot) site is in a fantastic position and the team here is very motivated and keen to take on my ideas and share my knowledge and experience.”

The AM100 2022’s 53rd-placed retailer by turnover (2021: £273.3m), Drive is a Vauxhall, MG and Citroen franchisee which employs around 700 members of staff across 16 dealership locations.

In March last year it introduced new health benefits, enhanced annual leave and subsidised gym memberships as part of a new wellbeing package introduced for staff.

Earlier this month it revealed that it was targeting a class-leading end-to-end finance journey following the promotion of Chris Blake as group finance and sales compliance manager.

Commenting on Clifton’s appointment this week, group joint managing director Stuart Harrison said: “The Aldershot site is a significant contributor to the Drive business and with Mark’s experience, the site is in a great place to expand further and maintain its reputation as a market leader in the Hampshire area.

“It is an exciting time to be joining the company as we recently launched our drivedirect used car brand, and Mark’s expertise will be invaluable to us as we work towards our aim of being a leading dealer group in the supply and aftercare of vehicles across all makes and models.”