Bristol car retailer wins big at prestigious national award ceremony

Waylands, which operates Waylands Volvo Cars Bristol, on Bolingbroke Way, was crowned Retailer of the Year, Dealer Group Of the Year, Online Consumer Experience and Franchised Dealership of the Year for Waylands Oxford, at the Automotive Management Awards 2024.

Waylands proudly accepted the Dealer Group of the Year for the fifth consecutive year. This recognition comes as a testament to Waylands consistent commitment to excellence in automotive retail.

The judges applauded the retailer’s leadership team, noting they “brilliantly manage” a “complex” multi-brand dealer group, while making strategic investment decisions in facilities and systems to guide their team through a rapidly changing sector.

Representing Volvo, Kia, MG and Polestar across nine locations in Thames Valley, Waylands has established itself as a customer focussed family business since its establishment in 2017.

The retailer also picked up the Online Consumer Experience of the Year award in which the judges applauded Waylands’ focus and achievements on digital sales, acknowledging the group’s continued investment in digital capabilities to allow customers to seek support and advice online, outside of the showroom’s hours or to assist the customer journey at any stage of their buying journey.

John O’Hanlon, CEO at Waylands, said: “We are delighted to have been named as Retailer of the Year and to have Dealer of the Year, for up to 10 sites, for the fifth consecutive time is truly fantastic. Online Consumer Experience of the Year recognises the significant investment to adapt our approach to new customer buying needs, whilst Franchised Dealership of the Year shows we continue to do this alongside class leading physical retail environments.

“2023 remained a challenging year for UK business, yet despite this, we have continued to provide a premium and tailored service for our customers.

“A huge congratulations to our wonderful teams, it’s thanks to the hard work and dedication of everyone across our businesses and brand partners that we’re celebrating these wins.”

The awards ceremony was held at Westminster Bridge Hotel on May 2.