Forest Group and Swansway Group celebrate delivery of 100th VW Van

With car and van dealerships located across the North West and Midlands, Swansway Group, is delighted to announce that Forest Group has recently taken delivery of its 100th Volkswagen Transporter from their Lancashire Van Centre!

Forest Group are a market leading and multi award winning refrigeration and air conditioning company servicing the north of England, Midlands, Wales and Scotland.  Operating as Forest UK and GB Refrigeration, they are widely recognised as the service provider of choice for the hospitality sector.

Swansway Group and Forest Group are both family owned and currently operated by second generations. Both are also prime examples of how family owned businesses continue to act as the mainstay for the UK economy, even in in the challenging 2020 economic conditions.

According to the Institute for Family Business’s report,  “The State of the Nation: The UK Family Business Sector 2019–20”, fleet-footed family businesses with their innovative approaches, ability to swiftly adapt to changing circumstances, and long-term strategic perspective, make up 87.6% of the UK’s businesses. And as family-run organisations frequently have proven commitment to the local communities in which they operate, it is generally accepted that they will be a key driver for economic recovery, once the pandemic restrictions are lifted.

Andrew Fraser, joint managing director of Forest Group, said: “We are delighted to have reached this milestone with Swansway Group. Our customers in the hospitality and catering sector expect the very highest standards of service from us, so the vehicles that we invest in have to perform. We have received first class service from the entire team at the Lancashire VW Van Centre for many years and it is a testament to their high performance levels that our partnership has endured and that we have chosen to spend over £3 million on their vehicles and services.”

John Smyth, director of Swansway Group, said: “Working from one family business to another is very satisfying, as we both have strong values that have been passed down through the generations, and it is wonderful to see the pride with which Forest Group instils these values in everything they do. We have been delighted to have been their supplier of choice for all these years as we know they only accept excellence. The 100th van is a fantastic achievement for us both and bodes extremely well for both businesses’ positive future performance.”

About Swansway Group

Swansway Group has 23 dealerships and one accident repair centre, from Birmingham in the Midland to Carlisle in the North.  It represents Volkswagen, Audi, Land Rover, Jaguar, SEAT, CUPRA, Peugeot, Honda and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, plus operates 5 Motor Match non-franchise locations.

The family dealer group was founded in 2003 by Michael Smyth and is now run by him and his three sons.