Though the economy may not look buoyant, a Swindon Renault dealer is proving that even the tougher times can be lucrative simply by investing in relationships with local businesses.
Fish Brothers Renault is marking another successful year with its customer SG Motorsport who deal with the service, repair and maintenance of performance cars of all makes and models, but specialising in Clio – Renault’s two-seater, rear-engineered supermini .
The business is owned and run by Renaultsport fanatic Scott Glander who receives enquiries and bookings from car owners all over the UK. More than 100 Clio V6s have passed through the doors of the workshop near Chippenham and all of these require the genuine Renault parts supplied by Fish Brothers and looked after by Stuart Headon, group parts representative.
The two local businesses have since been working closely together since the end of 2004, when Scott started out on his own.
He said: “I first got into Renaults as my friend and best man at my wedding Martin is Renault through and through. He works as a Renault Technical Expert for Fish Brothers Renault and has been with them straight from school. I got into Renaults through him and work and have come to admire them as people have a real passion for them. I’ve often seen people walk past Italian performance cars to admire a Renaultsport and I love that they’re all hand-built and so one-off and unique. Every one of them is different with different histories.”
Scott grew up with cars and originally worked for a company called Dave Appleby Engineering whose main customer was TWR who built the Phase I V6 Clio for Renault. When TWR went into administration, Dave Appleby bought all the bankrupt stock, before selling it on to Scott when he started SG Motorsport.
Since then, Scott has grown his business without advertising, relying solely on word-of-mouth recommendations and the online Renaultsport community. As well as being famed for his knowledge of everything Renault, he’s also well-known for his Great Dane Buster, his constant companion in the workshop, who sadly died recently.
Stuart, who is equally passionate about Renault, having worked with the brand for 27 years, added: “It’s my job to make sure Scott and customers like him are well-looked after. We offer such incentives as reward points that can be exchanged for merchandise or high street vouchers and we know the product inside out as Fish Brothers is a specialist Renaultsport dealership.
“We work with Scott on new products and offer great bulk deals on genuine parts at attractive prices such as oil filters, brake pads and discs and timing belts.
“Renault offers “price lock” which means we agree prices and then they’re guaranteed for the year.
“I come out to see him every two months. As with all customers, we go the extra mile. I’m proud to say that we’re proactive here at Fish Brothers –we employ good people who develop relationships.
“Funnily enough, when I first met Scott, he had racks and racks of Renault Clio headlights which were originally supplied by me to TWR, and then bought by him.”
The relationship has paid off from a sales point of view too. Scott is driving a Trafic van for work, which he is set to replace with another Trafic in November, while his wife is driving a Mégane. The Clio V6 that was also in the family had to go when his son was born, he says wistfully.
Currently in the workshop are six Clio V6s in for various modifications, including a Clio V6 phase II 255 that was owned by Renault UK and was the second to be produced, proudly bearing a “2” plaque.
Scott adds: “I only ever use Stuart for Renault parts. His team is all first class and always find exactly what we need. They really are as good as gold.”
For more information, contact Fish Brothers Renault on 01793 645650 or www.fish-bros.co.uk/renault. For SG Motorsport, call 01666 511191 or click onto www.renaultcliov6.com
Ends
1. Scott Glander of SG Motorsport (right) with Stuart Headon (left) from Fish Brothers Renault outside Scott’s workshop, with Clio V6s that he’s currently working on.
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