Western win Mercedes-Benz award

Pictured at the presentation of Western Automobile Companys Mercedes-Benz Retailer of the Year award are (left to right): Gary Savage, Managing Director, Mercedes-Benz Cars UK; Douglas Brown, Group Managing Director, Eastern Holdings Ltd & Eastern Western Motor Group Ltd; Debbie Inglis, General Manager, Mercedes-Benz of Edinburgh (Newbridge); Peter Collin, Managing Director, Eastern Western Motor Group Ltd; Graham Affleck, Market Area Director, Mercedes-Benz of Edinburgh & Coldstream and Christian Peters, Managing Director, Mercedes-Benz Financial Services UK.

Western Automobile Company, which has a branch in Coldstream, has been named Mercedes-Benz Retailer of the Year for 2018 – the second time in four years the business has won this prestigious award.

It was honoured for its excellent performance in all areas, including new and used car sales, after-sales and customer service.

It follows the opening of a new retail outlet at the Fort Kinnaird Retail Park in Edinburgh to complement its other Mercedes-Benz retailer to the west of the capital at Newbridge as well as Coldstream – both of which have also upgraded their facilities in recent months. Around 40 new staff have been recruited across the three sites too.

Graham Affleck, market area director, Mercedes-Benz of Edinburgh and Coldstream, said: “Our opening at Fort Kinnaird was a significant investment and a huge development.”

He added: “It has helped us to grow both new and used car sales and provide our customers living to the east of Edinburgh with an unrivalled retail environment and an even better service when it comes to the maintenance of their vehicles,” said Graham Affleck, Market Area Director, Mercedes-Benz of Edinburgh and Coldstream.

“Amidst this expansion, the Group has remained focused on the customer experience and ensuring that our teams are pulling together to make this the best it can be – values that have contributed to us winning this accolade and is testimony to the hard work and commitment of everyone throughout the business.”

The retailers have recently welcomed the new B-Class into their showrooms with the new GLE SUV due to arrive this spring.

Anticipation is now mounting for the launch of the EQC later this year – the first of a host of Mercedes-Benz electric models to be produced under the manufacturer’s EQ brand.

“The EQC heralds a new era of class-leading electric vehicles being launched by Mercedes-Benz over the next two to three years,” said Graham. “Its debut makes 2019 another very exciting year when we will be striving to build on the successes of the last one and deliver even greater levels of service to our customers.”

During 2018, Mercedes-Benz sold more than 172,000 cars across the UK and its seven per cent market share established it as the leading brand amongst German premium manufacturers.