10:39am Thursday 15th May 2008
By Katharine Lawley
A VEHICLE repairer from Salisbury has won one of the top accolades at a national awards ceremony.
MG Cannon, of Edison Road, Churchfields Industrial Estate, has been presented with the Small Bodyshop of the Year title at the Bodyshop Magazine Industry Event Awards ceremony, held in Birmingham.
The Small Bodyshop category celebrates excellence in the less sizeable vehicle repair operations and, said the judges, "despite being smaller than some of the industry's leviathan shops, they are in no way less efficient".
They said this year's finalists had proved they were "facing the challenges of a difficult market with professionalism and fortitude".
The awards organisers added that when the winner of the Small Bodyshop category was announced, it wasn't just the team from MG Cannon who were pleased.
"What made it even more memorable was the congratulations MG Cannon received from many other bodyshops," they said.
MG Cannon director, Shaign Hancock, said: "We are thrilled to have won the award at the first attempt.
"Within four years of purchasing the company, the management team have come from working on the shop floor to directing the company and succeeding in providing a quality service for our customers.
"We intend to use this award as a springboard to carry on with our expansion plans and to continue to strive towards a bright future for the company and our staff."
MG Cannon, which has an annual turnover of £900,000, concentrates on repairs to Mercedes-Benz vehicles.
It has adopted techniques for minor panel and paintwork scratches as well as for major crash work. Mr Hancock and his two fellow directors, David Wheller and Trevor Young, took over the company via a management buy-out.
They decided to align the bodyshop almost exclusively to Mercedes-Benz, and the company's 14-strong team works closely with the Mercedes-Benz Bodycare Programme.
"Working with Mercedes-Benz is testing, but it's also a privilege," said Mr Hancock.
"They want your commitment and they want you to sell the Mercedes-Benz experience and they want you to get it right.
"We embrace that and, although it may seem like we've got all our eggs in one basket, you can only go with your gut instinct and we totally believe in the brand and the programme."
The company is looking to expand: the bodyshop currently occupies 6,000 square feet and, said Mr Hancock, a further 4,000 square feet would be ideal.
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