One of Bristol’s longest established, family-owned car dealerships is shining in more ways than one after celebrating its ruby anniversary.
SJ Cook & Sons, which is located at Station Rd, marked 40 years of representing the Renault brand with a special visit from senior Groupe Renault UK personnel. The dealership is also set to share the occasion with customers and is currently planning a celebratory event for later in the year.
The dealership has gone from strength-to-strength in the last four decades. However, while it has grown to employ a team of nearly 70 people and is part of the Carco group with a turnover of £70 million, customers will find that some things are still reassuringly the same as when SJ Cook & Sons first opened its doors.
While Bristol has changed significantly in the last 40 years, SJ Cook & Sons still occupies the same site it started trading from in 1979. It also remains a family-owned business – making it one of the very few franchised main dealerships in Bristol to remain in family ownership – and is run with the same traditional values that founder Stanley Cook built the business on.
The dealership is also one of the oldest in the Groupe Renault UK network, which consists of nearly 160 dealerships nationwide.
As Robin Cook, Managing Director of SJ Cook & Sons, explained, it’s the business’ commitment to customers that above all else has helped it to reach its remarkable milestone.
“We’ve always strived to put customers first, whether they’re buying a new car or simply calling with a quick query, and we’re proud that this has resulted in a very loyal customer base. Due to this, plus our longevity, we have many generations of the same family as customers. These relationships are made even stronger due to the experience of team, with many of our staff having been with us for a very long time.
“The variety of the Renault range, together with its particular strength in the compact car sectors with such models as the Clio, Captur and ZOE, plus the unbeatable value of Dacia, has allowed us to cater for all kinds of motorists and their requirements. We’re proud to have built up such a large and loyal customer base across the region and, with Bristol looking increasingly to lower emissions within central areas, we are pleased to be able to offer them access to vehicles that will future-proof their motoring and optimise their mobility across the city.”
Robin continued: “We’d like to thank everyone who’s played a part in our success and we’re very much looking forward to building on the work we have done over the last 40 years to provide our customers with an even better service.”
Louise O’Sullivan, Network Operations Director, Groupe Renault UK, was delighted to congratulate Robin and the SJ Cook & Sons team. She said: “SJ Cook & Sons is a fantastic ambassador for our brands and its commitment to customers and the Groupe Renault franchise is exceptional, delivering high customer satisfaction levels and retaining a loyal customer base throughout the years.”