Month: September 2019
Bowker BMW on the docks in Preston has been awarded BMW Sales Retailer of the Year 2017, beating more than 150 other BMW Centres across the UK.
The award recognises Bowker Preston for exceptional sales performance.
The award for BMW Sales Retailer of the Year was presented at a glittering ceremony in London hosted by television presenter Claudia Winkleman.
Tom Fox, Bowker BMW Preston managing director said: “We are delighted to receive this national award. It reflects our sales team’s blend of commitment and enterprise. But above all, we work hard to focus on our customers’ needs in all we do. So we are especially grateful for their support of Bowker throughout this award-winning year and beyond.”
The Preston victory makes it back-to-back years of national award-winning recognition for Bowker Motor Group.
As well as picking up BMW Sales Retailer of the Year, last year, Bowker BMW in Blackburn was crowned BMW UK Aftersales Retailer of the Year. The award recognised the retailer’s consistent aftersales performance across a wide selection of criteria including parts retailing; sales achievement; and customer satisfaction.
Also last year, Bowker Preston opened a new 30-ramp aftersales facility in Preston. The Bowker Aftersales Centre is the largest of its kind in north west of England.
Bowker Blackburn Dedicates Refurbished BMW Centre Re-opening to Amateur Rugby Unsung Heroes.
Three Blackburn Rugby Club volunteer coaches have officially reopened the newly-refurbished Bowker BMW Centre on Trident Way in Blackburn.
Martin Gaffey, Nick Koncsol and Chris Ham have coached Blackburn Rugby Club Mini rugby teams for a combined total of more than 20 years. In that time, Martin and Nick have both taken teams through from the Minis all the way to Colts (Under 19s) winning four Lancashire County trophies along the way.
And the three coaches were VIPs for the day – officially re-opening Bowker BMW in Blackburn after a £1 million refurbishment.
For Bowker Blackburn, Chris Eccles said: “We enjoy a great relationship with Blackburn Rugby Club, and have done for several years. We wanted to acknowledge the wonderful work volunteers do to make such a difference to the lives of young rugby players in Blackburn. So we dedicated our re-opening celebration to them. And we were delighted they could be our VIPs for the day.”
The celebration on Saturday April 28th and Sunday April 29th included prosecco and craft beer from Burnley brewer Moorhouses; a bouncy castle; car wash supporting Child Action NW; prize draws for stays at the new 1823 Spinning Block Hotel and Storrs Hall Hotel; and a display of classic and rare BMWs and a Hog Roast.
Local Lancashire contractors JK Beardsworth and Speakmans delivered the million pound refurbishment. The enhancements have transformed the customer experience with a new open plan design; upgraded customer spaces with free wifi; and, a mezzanine administration area.
The main showroom concourse now has electric powered bays that mean customers can experience the full range of interactive digital features available in the latest BMW models. There are even ipads alongside each car with access to interactive information.
For Blackburn Rugby Club Tony White said: “It was lovely to be part of Bowker BMW celebrations, and enjoy the VIP hospitality in the dealership over the weekend. Coaching young rugby players is a labour of love but very rewarding.
“Thanks to the hard work of volunteer coaches, many of our senior players started out in Mini Rugby. Martin and Nick are great examples. Three of their players have represented Lancashire and one has represented the North of England. Their experience working with U9 and U11 players is outstanding for the community.
“And Chris Ham is a coach and the groundsman – looking after four of the best pitches in the North West of England. Our coaches don’t expect any sort of public acknowledgement. But we enjoy it when it comes along!”
Bowker BMW on Trident Park in Blackburn has been crowned BMW UK Aftersales Retailer of the Year.
Bowker beat more than 150 other BMW retailers throughout the UK. The Aftersales Retailer of the Year award recognises the retailer’s consistent aftersales performance across a wide selection of criteria including parts retailing; sales achievement; and customer satisfaction.
The win was announced at the BMW UK Retailer Awards in Barcelona on 27 January 2017. The event hosted by TV’s Gethin Jones in front of hundreds of invited guests from throughout Europe; the new official launch of the BMW 5 Series.
The award was presented by BMW UK aftersales director Richard Price.
Bowker Blackburn managing director Chris Eccles, who collected the award in person, said: “The Aftersales Retailer of the Year is one of the most sought after awards amongst BMW centres in the UK. It covers everything from customer feedback through to important commercial performance indicators.
“Not only have we reached a high standard; but we’ve delivered consistently throughout the year. This is a wonderful compliment to our staff who have worked so hard. We are especially grateful to them and to all our customers; customers who chose to share such positive feedback about their experiences here at Bowker.”
Bowker Blackburn is one of the most awarded BMW centres in the country: In 2014 the centre won the BMW Retailer of the Year Award for Corporate Sales. And, business development manager Richard Cowell was acknowledged as Local Hero by BMW UK.
In 2013, managing director, Chris Eccles became the first person in history to hold the Dealer Principal of the Year title in both the Motor Trader Awards and AM awards simultaneously.
In the same year Chris was confirmed as one of three national Managers of the Year in the annual BMW Excellence in Sales competition. And corporate account manager Paul Bamford was announced as BMW Leasing Star of the Year for best customer service to the leasing industry.
Also in 2013, BMW Corporate Finance has placed the team first for local business sales for the fourth year in a row.
An executive at Bowker BMW and MINI on Trident Park in Blackburn has been honoured as the best Motability specialist in the country.
45 year-old Andrew Holden from Oswaldtwistle received the award at a presentation at the Bowker BMW centre in May.
The award recognised Andrew as the best from over 18,000 motability specialists in the country and acknowledges consistently high standards of service and support to customers of the Motability Car Scheme throughout 2018.
The Motability Scheme is the UK’s leading car scheme for disabled people. It provides affordable, convenient, worry-free motoring to over 600,000 disabled customers and their families.
Andrew joined Bowker over five years ago but has over 15 years experience in the role at dealerships throughout East Lancashire. Last year Andrew was commended as one of the top two Motability specialist in the country.
Andrew said: “I was commended last year. And that was a proud achievement. So to go one better this year has been a wonderful surprise. I work hard to help our motability customers enjoy the very best options that the scheme has to offer.
“In many cases we see time and time again how a car transforms our customers’ quality of life. So it’s a particularly rewarding part of the motoring retail industry. And I’m proud to be a part of it.”
The Motability Scheme Dealer Awards programme rewards best practice and ensures customers receive exemplary customer service across the nationwide car dealer network.
With prizes available across nine categories, the awards are judged on how a dealer delivers the Scheme to customers, and is assessed by customer feedback and reviews of their Motability Scheme performance.
Richard Povey, dealer development manager – Dealer Relations at Motability Operations Ltd, said: “We are extremely proud of the achievements all our winners, including Andrew at Bowker BMW and MINI, have achieved. It’s great to see the high level of service delivered by our dealer network and we are pleased to present the latest 2019 Dealer Awards. The annual Awards allow us to thank dealers for providing consistently positive customer service, highlighting those who are doing it well and encouraging others to do the same.
“It is a testament to the outstanding standard, professional approach, and expert knowledge of Andrew at Bowker BMW and MINI that he has been recognised as a winning specialist – congratulations to him for his well-deserved 2019 Dealer Award.”
Burnley FC in the Community has marked the fundraising success of a Lancashire car dealership boss with a player appearance and signed shirt presentation.
Burnley FC players James Tarkowski and Matt Lowton presented Bowker Motor Group managing director Chris Eccles with the signed shirt.
Chris personally raised £390 for Burnley FC in the Community when he completed this year’s Asda Foundation Burnley 10K running race. It was the highest individual sum raised from over 40 running the 10K .
The management team at Bowker Motor Group raised a group total of over £1,000 despite eleventh hour injuries to two of the Bowker team. The remaining five – representing Bowker BMW, MINI and Aftersales – all completed the course.
For Burnley FC in the Community, Marketing and Events Officer, Sinead Kennedy-Peers said: “The signed Burnley FC Shirt prize was a fun incentive to encourage our runners. We wanted to say thank you to everyone who was training so hard and running through the pain barrier for Burnley FC in the Community.
“Congratulations to Chris and his team at Bowker. We know how hard they all worked in training and raising money on our behalf. And we really appreciate it.”
The sixth annual Burnley 10K race took place on Sunday July 15th, beginning and finishing in Towneley Park, outside Towneley Hall in Burnley.
Bowker Motor Group enlisted the help of Jamie Kennedy at Burnley-based Fitness Experience with some assistance with training and nutrition. All the competitors were monitored using a digital smartphone app and offered tailored advice in the build up to the race.
Bowker Blackburn managing director Chris Eccles said: “A big thank you for this gift. We all loved being part of the 10K challenge. And I am grateful to all the friends, colleagues and customers who supported our efforts.”
Earlier this year Bowker Motor Group became official vehicle supplier of Burnley FC in the Community; sourcing a fleet of four vehicles. Bowker Motor Group also sponsored the charity’s annual fundraising dinner in April.