Colin Appleyard enters roaring 40s
Colin Appleyard is celebrating its 40th anniversary since opening its first Suzuki car dealership in the UK.
The business, which has won Suzuki’s ‘Dealer of the Year’ trophy seven times, was established in 1970 by the 34-year-old apprentice mechanic and entrepreneur, Colin Appleyard MBE. During the past four decades, the Yorkshire-based company has been proud to stay owned and run by the Appleyard family, and Colin’s son, Robin, remains at the helm.
Over the years, Colin Appleyard has evolved as an organisation and its growing portfolio now counts state-of-the-art Suzuki car dealerships in Keighley, Huddersfield, and Ashton-under-Lyne, as well as its newest showroom in Bradford.
This thereby makes it one of the vehicle manufacturer’s largest retail groups in the UK. It is responsible for generating around five per cent of all nationwide Suzuki sales, and to date, has sold and delivered over 35,000 new Suzuki cars and 4x4s in the UK.
Dale Wyatt, director of Automobile at Suzuki GB PLC, said, ‘We would like to congratulate Colin Appleyard on this significant milestone, and thank them for 40 years of commitment to our brand. As the biggest Suzuki retailer in the UK, they have been an integral part of our success since our arrival in this country, and we have been very encouraged to witness the growth of their Suzuki business through the decades. Without the hard work of dealers within our network like Colin Appleyard, we wouldn’t have achieved such a strong foothold in the market.’
Robin Appleyard, managing director at Colin Appleyard Ltd, added, ‘Our core philosophy of always putting the customer first, and maintaining an inviting family atmosphere, has consistently resonated with existing and prospective Suzuki car buyers. Combining values that my father instilled across our organisation, with a brand that provides vehicle owners with great value and low running costs, this has allowed us to excel during the last 40 years and reach this important chapter in our history. We can’t wait to see what the future holds.’
