GROUPAUTO ENJOY THE SHOW AT HARROGATE
Akabusi Stars, But Livingston Auto Parts Steal The Show
GROUPAUTO UK & Ireland Ltd (GROUPAUTO), the UK’s largest trading group, held its annual trade show and conference at the Harrogate international Centre on Friday (12thOctober) and the overriding message from suppliers and delegates was to hold fast and to continue to support one another through the tough trading conditions.
Following a busy and lively show, which featured some innovative stands such as the VARTA Recharge Station run in association with Manbat, where members could ‘recharge’ with refreshments and Universal Automotive’s clever design that presented a montage of its brands and took the prize for the best stand of the show, delegates filed in to the main auditorium for the conference.
Under the heading ‘be part of a winning team’ managing director Jim Mazza reflected on a momentous year which drew sporting inspiration from the Olympics and his beloved Leeds Rhinos’ rugby league success as well as historic milestones like the queen’s ‘60 years on the throne’ (yes there was a joke about dodgy tummies in there) and GROUPAUTO’s 10th anniversary.
“Business-wise the landscape has been tougher,” said Mazza, “and GROUPAUTO has not been immune to the realities of the current trading conditions with group turnover down 2%. However, outside the group, factors are down by an average of 4%, so being part of a dynamic trading group clearly benefits our members and puts them in a strong position to grow as the conditions improve.”
Mazza also made reference to GROUPAUTO’s on-going commitment to use technology to continue to increase the efficiency of the business as a whole with the implementation of electronic trading processes. “Almost 90% of our members are now using the group’s G-Net system and so far this year they’ve placed 4.8 million orders, an 18% increase on last year, which means that we are processing more than 95,000 invoices per month electronically,” he said.
Before Jim handed over to guest speaker Kriss Akabusi, he reminded members that working together as part of a winning team, “ordinary people can do extraordinary things.”
Olympic champion Akabusi picked up on the theme and encouraged the delegates in his own inimitable style. He enthused and entertained in equal measure about how people in key positions within an organisation who posses pride, passion and a ‘can-do’ attitude are able to be ‘game-changers’ for businesses looking to fulfil their potential.
The conference concluded with the presentation of the annual awards for the suppliers and members of the year and the winners were:
The G-Logix supplier of the year – Steel Seal
The GROUPAUTO supplier of the year – Apec
The G-Truck CV member of the year – HS Atec Ltd
The GROUPAUTO member of the year – Livingston Auto Parts Ltd
For more information contact the GROUPAUTO team on: 01274 654600 or visit: www.groupauto.co.uk
ENDS
For further information relating to this press material, please contact Steve Coombes on: 01753 785957 or e-mail: steve@chicanemarketing.co.uk
Chicane is an established PR agency with a particular specialism in the automotive aftermarket and the motorsport industry.
Prix De la Communication and Barrington Needham Trophy award winners
Tags:
