Sandown Group, which has a site in Salisbury, is celebrating after being crowned Mercedes-Benz Retailer of the Year for 2020 and 2021.

The company was chosen as the best Mercedes-Benz retail group in the UK for its outstanding performance in every area of the business over the past two years.

The award was presented at a special ceremony hosted by TV celebrity Dermot O’Leary at Mercedes-Benz World in Weybridge, Surrey, where Sandown representatives received the trophy and were also praised for their achievements in customer services and new car sales.

Gavin McAllister, the managing director of Sandown, said it was an “extraordinary moment” for the company and his colleagues.

“Sandown’s recognition by our partners at Mercedes-Benz Cars UK as Retailer of the Year is testimony to the hard work and dedication of each member of the Sandown team,” added Gavin.

“I truly believe that it’s the accumulation of our combined and consistent efforts each day that has delivered the performance and unlocked this success, and I am deeply grateful for the care, commitment, passion and focus of my colleagues across the business. As a business that is completely dedicated to the Mercedes-Benz brand, this award means a great deal to all of us on the team.”

He added: “This award is a special achievement that coincides with the strengthening of Sandown’s partnership with Mercedes-Benz with the addition of our new sites that increases our locations to ten and our workforce to more than 500 employees. We are intensely focused on maximising the significant opportunities provided by our increased scale - I’m confident that there are exciting times ahead for Sandown.”

During 2021, Sandown strengthened its presence across southern England with the acquisition of Mercedes-Benz Retailers in Newbury and Epsom and the opening of a new Mercedes-Benz Aftersales Van Centre in Poole.

The additional sites joined existing locations in Salisbury, Basingstoke, Dorchester, Farnborough, Guildford, Hindhead, and Poole.

It’s not the first time that Sandown has been recognised by the manufacturer as they won Aftersales Team of the Year in 2019, New Car Sales Team of the Year in 2018 and Best Customer Service Team in 2016.