The independent business operates from sites in Alfreton, Birmingham, Burton, Nottingham, Potteries, Shrewsbury and Walsall, was presented with the awards at Volvo Trucks’ annual dealer conference in November, attended by leaders representing all 79 service points across the UK & Ireland.
2022 has seen Hartshorne Group drive its business from strength to strength, delivering on projects to improve customer experience, modernise facilities, achieve strong sales and bolster sustainability with a series of environmental initiatives aimed at supporting both staff and customers, including the arrival of the company’s first electric parts delivery vans.
Christian Coolsaet, Managing Director of Volvo Trucks UK & Ireland, says: “Hartshorne Group has been on a transformation journey this year, led from the top and supported at all levels within the business. The team is consistently outstanding with its fast actions, focused on delivering the best possible customer service and has been proactively taking key steps to demonstrate its commitment to a sustainable future built around e-mobility.
“As a team they set the perfect example for what any manufacturer wants from a high-performing multi-site dealership; never resting on their laurels but rising to new challenges and driving the business forward each and every day.”
Hartshorne Group has also continued to focus on its Healthy Heart Campaign in 2022, aimed at encouraging its 254-strong team to take actions to improve their personal health through activities such as walking and cycling to work. The company has also continued to donate £1 towards community-based defibrillators for every hour of physical exercise its staff track via an app, with multiple life-saving devices now installed across its area of responsibility.
Other awards presented on the night included Volvo Truck and Bus Centre South & East securing the Sustainability Award, for the £2m project currently nearing completion in Croydon, to build the most sustainable dealership in the network, just 10 miles from central London. The 17-site group has also replaced its entire fleet of customer courtesy cars this year with electric vehicles, supported by the installation of on-site vehicle charging infrastructure at all dealer points – helping to drive down emissions and promoting the benefits of switching to electric.
Irish Commercials secured the inaugural Electric Sales Award for its success in signing a significant Volvo FE Electric order with a major beverage company, whilst Crossroads Truck & Bus won the Used Truck Sales Award after winning new customers and extending relationships with existing fleets, despite another challenging year for used truck supply.
Stuarts Truck and Bus, which represents Volvo Trucks in Devon and Cornwall, rounded out the evening by picking up the Service Market Award for its commitment to delivering a first-class aftersales experience for customers in the south west.