20 Years Of Westwood
Today marks the day when, 20 years ago our very own Chris Melling became the owner of the business we now all know as Westwood Motor Group.
The seeds were sown when Chris, a lifelong salesman, observed his brother, who at the time lived in The States, always getting around in hire cars on his trips home. This inspired Chris to look more into the automotive industry and when a local used van sales company came up for sale, itself established in 1987 by local entrepreneur Steve Brehny, he took the opportunity to stretch himself and make the purchase with a view to transforming it into a rental business. What happened next is nothing short of extraordinary.
A local icon was born and the rest, as they say, is history. Chris, never one to follow the crowd, created the now well established concepts of Flexible Rental and Fixed Term hire as well as adding his own take on the more traditional Contract Hire and Short Term Hire too. With sub-brand logos created to match, these vehicle solutions were revolutionary at the time and have been widely copied across the industry since. No more so than the concept of Flexible Rental – These days every rental company has something ‘inspired’ by Chris’s vision, but he was there first, leading the industry from his first days joining it.
Fast forward to today and Westwood has been transformed from the going concern it was when Chris first bought the business, to not just the leading business of its type in the Northwest, but one of the leading companies Nationally.
Originally just taking up the forecourt and buildings of a former petrol station in Ince, Wigan, Westwood Motor Group grew exponentially, with land surrounding the site being purchased as it became available and also the building next door in the form of the former Amberswood Tavern, which was transformed into offices to allow for further growth and additional staff to come on board. From Manchester Road, the frontage of the site is impressive, but it’s not immediately apparent just how vast the site is. With space for hundreds of vehicles, themselves just a fraction of the close to 3,000 vehicles which make up Westwood’s fleet.
Wigan is no longer the only location bearing a Westwood logo. The sales focussed Bolton branch is now well established, prominent and flourishing, with more locations under review for the future. From here, Westwood is able to serve the whole country.
At his heart a Wiganer to his very core, Chris has taken every opportunity to get behind the local community. Through Westwood he supports almost every local charity and good cause you can think of and gets behind grassroots sports of all kinds. Most prominently though he’s established major partnerships with Wigan’s two highest profile teams, Wigan Athletic and Wigan Warriors. As a lifelong fan of both, Chris is exceptionally and rightly proud to have his brand associated and prominently displayed by these iconic teams. A dream come true for any fan.
So how has Chris manage to enter the industry, grow his business from practically nothing and establish it as a local, regional and national leader? It’s simple, Chris himself has espoused that the company is a reflection of his own personal beliefs about how business should be done. Specifically, it’s all down to the power of relationships. Whether it be suppliers, manufacturers, customers, clients and team members, establishing, maintaining and building warm working relationships is what sets us apart and has allowed Westwood phenomenal growth.
In particular, it’s one of Chris’s core principles and something he regularly reminds the Westwood team, that “Every customer is a block of gold” – he expects everyone, from startups, to Blue Chip Corporates to be treated to the best service they’ve received anywhere. With a Management Team all sharing this ethos, this has, over the years, ensured that those who’ve experienced the Westwood difference never want to go anywhere else.
After 20 years of success, Chris could well reward himself with a life of leisure and enjoy the spoils of his hard work, but to this day, still works as many hours now as he did when starting out and remains deeply involved in the running and direction of the business.
So what of the future?
Having established that there’s a need for friendly, personable, uniquely Northern service and high end vehicles without the high end prices, across the country, Westwood is proud to be a business other companies can rely on and continue to rely on. Chris has set his sights higher too. Already unbeatable in the Northwest, Westwood is well on the way to being a National brand and even, arguably an International one having been seen so prominently across the pond in Las Vegas recently.
Despite all that success, Chris is still, as someone recently messaged him regarding the Westwood branding featured at the Wigan Warriors game in Vegas, a local bloke you could bump into in the pub and enjoy a pint with. Never was there a better compliment for a true Wiganer like Chris. True to his roots, proud of his local community and proud of what he’s built through his own drive and vision.
Here’s to Westwood’s next 20 years and all the growth, success and adventures it will bring. May we remain here to serve EVERYONE’s businesses!
