The history of Mitchell Group is simple. With £100 share capital and a £10,000 overdraft, the company opened for business in February 1990 at Elf Oil’s newest and state of the art service station in Warrington. Mark Mitchell and founder employee Neil Crowden (now Group Director) developed three further locations over three years, purchasing the company’s first freehold service station in Neston in 1993.
Their keen interest in four wheel drive motors led to the focus on selling specialist vehicles during the mid 1990s. Personal recommendations and sharp attention to detail ‘fuelled’ considerable growth which resulted in national recognition with the appointment to the Mitsubishi franchise in 1996.
A desire to acquire a premium brand prompted timely discussions with Lexus GB who made a swift appointment for the Chester and North Wales market place. In February 2001, the UK’s biggest facility was opened on the Group’s newly acquired five acre location at Cheshire Oaks.
Škoda joined the portfolio at the West Kirby dealership in September 2001 and provided a unique opportunity to capitalise on their transformation under Volkswagen ownership.
Mazda was Mitchell Group’s last acquisition and shares our recently extended industry-leading facility with Škoda, adjacent to our Lexus Centre. This comprises a 16 car showroom and a 20 bay workshop operation along with the very latest in valeting and preparation services. The dealership is truly 21st century and provides the very best for both customers and team members with airport style lounges incorporating customer I-Pads, WiFi and complimentary refreshments.
The consolidation of all our businesses to our strategic location has enabled us to focus all our attention on our values and culture. We remain at the forefront of automotive retail and after over 30 years in business we are as convinced as ever that "it’s our people who make the difference".
In summary, the Mitchell Group team are immensely grateful for all that they have achieved. With a turnover now reaching £60 million and dedicated teams of over 100 colleagues, we continue to retain our sharp focus on customer service. We are a locally-owned business with Directors and Senior Managers meeting our customers on a daily basis. We are confident we can continue this.