Sherwoods managing director Alasdair MacConachie, left, holds the Trade Cup with group parts manager Andy Hodgson as dealership staff and officials from Vauxhall celebrate an unprecedented consecutive win.
The Trade Cup consecutive win
MOTOR spares staff are celebrating an unprecedented consecutive win in a prestigious national competition as a poignant memorial to a colleague who collapsed and died.
Staff at North-East motor dealer Sherwoods managed to “do it for Dave” after clinching the national Trade Cup.
Despite being set astronomic new targets Sherwoods – which has operations in Darlington, Stockton and Northallerton – powered its way to victory.
Last year the accolade came to the North-East thanks to the efforts of Dave Carr, of Norton, near Middlesbrough.
Sadly he collapsed after suffering a heart attack and died on the way to hospital aged just 48.
The tragedy prompted Sherwoods staff to work even harder to retain the trophy despite being set targets 50 per cent higher than last year.
Their efforts weren’t in vain and Trade Cup officials surprised staff by landing on Sherwoods’ Darlington head office to break the good news.
Group parts manager Andy Hodgson, of Redcar, said: “We are absolutely overjoyed to have won particularly against such challenging targets. It is particularly nice to win it for Dave, in his memory.”
Sherwoods managing director Alasdair MacConachie said: “This is an absolutely fantastic achievement which I attribute to a strong parts team under enthusiastic leadership. To win it for Dave is a sign of respect for a much-loved colleague.”
Trade Cup managing director Bill Stimson said: “The competition isn’t really designed to win back to back so that fact Sherwoods has done so is phenomenal and a record in itself.”
The Trade Cup lays down a challenge to more than 240 dealers nationally setting targets and judging them on the amount of spare parts sold during the year, including oil, filters, brake pads, anti-freeze and batteries.
As well as selling to their own customers, Sherwoods supply genuine Vauxhall parts to almost 500 trade outlets reaching figures almost twice the national average.
As well as being awarded a handsome trophy and national prestige staff also won a cheque for £12,000.
