Caterham and Morgan Dealer of the Year
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Caterham and Morgan Dealer of the Year

Tue, May 9, 2017 9:57 AM

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Oakmere Motor Group, the leading Caterham and Morgan specialist for Cheshire and the north-west of England, has had its work with both of these prestige motor marques recognised by a pair of awards from the manufacturers themselves.

Both companies have awarded it their ‘Dealer of the Year’ honour for 2016, making a unique double for the Northwich-based operation.

And it’s an even more remarkable achievement, given that Oakmere has only been an official Morgan dealer since 2012, and was appointed by Caterham as recently as August 2015.

Together with the Lotus dealership and service centre which has been established on the same site since 1978, this reinforces Oakmere’s claim that its Northwich site is ‘the British sports car centre for the north-west’.

“To earn the Caterham Dealer of the Year award in our first full year of officially representing the brand is amazing,” said Jonathan Jarratt, Managing Director of Oakmere Motor Group.

“The award pitted us against some very good operators which have spent years specialising in Caterham sales, servicing and repair,” said Jonathan. “That makes it a great accolade for Oakmere, as it shows that the team of experts and true enthusiasts we have here are the equal of every member of a group of acknowledged experts representing the brand.”

Meeting A ‘Pent-Up Demand’

The launch and subsequent success of Oakmere Caterham has also shown that there was “a pent-up demand” for the cars in the north of England which, until the dealership was set up, was having to go further afield to be served.

The long lines of Caterhams which now regularly make tracks for Northwich to attend special Caterham owner events at the Oakmere site, and of used Caterham cars which it is entrusted with finding happy new owners for, show that this demand is now being well served. That, in turn, is helped by the great relationship which Jonathan and his team enjoy with senior staff at Caterham’s HQ in Crawley, West Sussex.

“We’ve also had great fun and got the name of the business out there by entering two cars into the Caterham Academy race series and Caterham Roadsport race series, driven by Steve Jeavons and myself,” said Jonathan.

Steve is the fount of most knowledge for the Caterham and Morgan sales and service operations at Oakmere in Northwich, not just for his detailed mechanical know-how, but also because of his out-and-out enthusiasm for the marques, and the whole lifestyle they represent.

Born out of Colin Chapman’s original race car mantra “Simplify, then add lightness”, Caterham was established with the aim of giving owners the chance to experience the joy and pride of building their own car which is equally at home on the road or race track.

It has a small but geographically well-spread network of appointed dealers, who are chosen for their expertise and enthusiasm - but clearly Oakmere Caterham stands out as a beacon of excellence, and this among a truly dedicated and knowledgeable customer base!

Lightning DOES Strike Twice!

One such award might be seen as a real endorsement of the fine job being done by all the people front and back-stage at Oakmere Motor Group - but that the business has been given a second, for the similar work it has done in establishing our Morgan sales and servicing operation, is the result of a slightly longer partnership.

Although a specialist British sports car division here in Northwich was originally set up in 1978 as Christopher Neil Sportscars, it was only in 2012 that Morgan officially endorsed Oakmere with authorised dealer status.

And sales of Morgans have grown from 12 in that first year to 42 in 2016, which has contributed greatly - but not exclusively - to Oakmere now also being named Morgan Dealer of the Year.

According to Jonathan Jarratt, Morgan’s bosses were particularly impressed with the effort put in by the Oakmere staff to represent the brand at a wide variety of events, ranging from local village shows to major attractions such as CarFest, the Chris Evans brainchild which has become one of the biggest series of car events in the UK.

“We’ve also been putting lots of effort into getting people to sample Morgan cars through our ‘Hire A Morgan’ service, which has been a real success and enabled us to sell quite a few cars,” said Jonathan.

The same goes for the series of Morgan factory tours which have been run several times throughout the year, and which, Jonathan added, do a great job of explaining the full scope of the options which can only be offered by a manufacturer which still makes its cars largely by hand.

All The Know-How You Need In One Place

“To that end, it’s a real feather in our cap that we have one of the best groups of British sports car-trained technicians, and can truly say we are a one-stop shop for anything Morgan or Caterham-related,” he said.

Ultimately, the Oakmere ethos is to keep customers happy throughout their time owning any of the cars which it sells. “To have those efforts recognised by the manufacturers we represent is really special to us,” added Jonathan, “but it’s also a massive step towards achieving our objective of becoming the British sports car centre for the north of England.”

One way in which the specialists at Oakmere back up this aim is by assembling one of the most extensive ranges of new and used Caterham and Morgan cars to be found on a single site.

Not just that, but its strong relationship with Morgan means it can offer serious buyers the chance to ‘beat the waiting list’, by helping them draw up a detailed specification of their cars at the earliest stages, so ensuring that any possible delays during the production process are anticipated, and factored into the production cycle.

Even before reaching this stage, Oakmere Morgan and Oakmere Caterham are dedicated to satisfying customers that they’re spending their hard-earned money in exactly the right way, with a whole host of hands-on experience and know-how to help them specify the car which suits them best. That extends to special sports car hire packages, which go way beyond the usual test drive experience, and allow prospective owners to really get to know how a Morgan or Caterham performs at their own pace. And Oakmere will refund the cost of hire to anyone who goes on to order a car.

Committing to buying a Morgan or Caterham is a big step - but you get help and support through every stage by doing so through the acknowledged experts at Oakmere Morgan and Oakmere Caterham.

They know that you’re buying much more than just a car, and will take the time and trouble to make your purchasing and owning journey every mile of the pleasure it’s designed to be.

You’ll always get all the advice you’ll need to secure the right new Caterham car or new Morgan car from the friendly team at Oakmere Motor Group in Northwich. We’re just a few minutes off the M6 at junction 19, or a short hop from Manchester along the A556. Contact us here to register your interest and start getting the benefit of our expert help.

 

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