AWARD-WINNING Co Antrim independent car dealer the John Mulholland Motor Group has been named as the UK's number one Skoda dealership. The Randalstown-based company, which earlier this year completed a £1 million refurbishment, beat off 135 other Skoda sellers to claim the prestigious crown at a gala awards ceremony in Seville. "We're blown away at clinching this accolade," company owner John Mulholland told The Irish News. "It's a monumental achievement for the dealership and underlines the incredible work everyone here has put in over many years. "We've managed to see off every single dealer from every big city across the UK, including a number of major plcs like Lookers, Arnold Clark and the Ridgeway Group." "Skoda judge us on every key metric, from sales through to customer service, to parts, after-sales, return on investment - indeed they go through their dealerships with a fine tooth comb. "Yet we still produced by far the best figures across all measurements. We're over the moon."
Mr Mulholland got a whiff of what was in store when he and his wife Alicia were flown first class to Dubai, where Skoda's UK managing director Alisdair Stewart hosted them to a VIP bash at the luxury seven-star Burj Al Arab hotel.
Then they were whisked off to the Skoda UK Retailer of the Year awards in Seville hosted by Claudia Winkleman from the hit BBC1 show Strictly Come Dancing, where they saw off every other dealership and clinched the night's top prize in the company of Skoda board member Werner Eichhorn. "This all means so much to the Group and each of our 60-plus staff," Mr Mulholland said. "It comes on the back of one of the most successful trading years our 26-year history, when we've enjoyed unprecedented success with our Skoda range. "We've got our reward for having the right people in the right job delivering the right level of performance."
The Mulholland Group, which also supplies Ford and Hyundai brands and has a U-First Used car department, operates from a state-of-the-art complex at Randalstown, complemented by a sister showroom at Campsie, near Derry.