Oldfields Through to National “Garage of the Year” Final

Thursday 27th April 2023

We didn’t pick up the gong this time, but we were absolutely thrilled to have made the final of Automechanika “Garage of the Year 2023” hosted by the Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF). Automechanika, held at the NEC in Birmingham, is the UKs largest trade event for the Automotive Aftermarket.

“Garage of the Year” is the headline award in the prestigious competition, which recognizes the best garages in the UK, and Oldfields has been selected as one of the top seven garages in the country.

The Automechanika Garage of the Year competition is judged by industry experts, who assess the quality of the garage’s work, customer service, and business practices and then pass it over to the public to vote for the overall winner, with the winner being announced at a special ceremony on 7th June 2023.

Tim Benson, Director of Oldfields Garage Services, expressed his excitement about reaching the final: “We are really chuffed to be named as a finalist for Garage of the Year 2023. It’s a fantastic recognition of the hard work and dedication of our team, who are committed to providing the highest quality service to our customers. We pride ourselves on our customer service and attention to detail, and this nomination is a testament to that.” He added that “We’ll be flying the flag for Herefordshire. There are some fantastic garages among our category, we may be smallest in the category but we’ll give it our best shot.”

Oldfields Garage Services has been providing car maintenance and repair services to the Leominster community for over 30 years. With a team of experienced technicians and state-of-the-art equipment, the garage offers a range of services, including MOT testing, servicing, and repairs.

About the awards…
The Garage of the Year award category recognises garages and aftermarket service outlets that have delivered exceptional service over the past twelve months and demonstrate high calibre business acumen to navigate the challenges of operating a thriving business in 2023 and beyond.

This includes proof of awareness and understanding of profit and loss, the difference between gross, operating, and net profit, and why the difference between mark up and margin is important for a business but ultimately delivers value for customers. The recipient of the Garage of the Year award will have demonstrated proficiency and a proactive approach in marketing, social media use and local community outreach.

The Garage of the Year will be identifiable with a team or individual delivering business performance transparency, meetings with suppliers and customers, and implementation of specific corporate governance policies such as complaints procedures, duty of care, and environmental awareness.

Pipped at the Post, but we’ll go again next year!

Tuesday 4th October 2022

After attending the Live Final at Delphi Technical Training Centre in Warwick on Saturday 1st October 2022, Oldfields picked up the Finalist Certificate at the glitzy Award Ceremony in Coventry the same evening.

The competition was fierce, with the best garages in the UK competing in several categories based on their employee numbers. The first time we’ve entered this competition, one of the biggest in the Automotive Aftermarket, the process was tough. Starting with the initial survey style questionnaire, a scenario-based question at the semi-final stage and then through to the final. The final comprised of a time constrained written question and answer session, followed by meeting the two judges where we needed to give a 3-minute presentation on the business and finally being interrogated with a series of questions based on our business and the industry in general.

“I’m obviously a little disappointed not to have won overall, but I am delighted for our team to have reached the final and to be recognised as one of the 5 best garages of our size in the UK. To spend the evening with some of the best technicians and garages in the country gave an opportunity to celebrate and learn. All the finalists should be proud, and I send a huge congratulations to all the winners”.

We’ll take what we’ve learnt this year and see if we can go one step further next time!”

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Top Garage 2022 Finalists!

Tuesday 20th September 2022

We’re absolutely thrilled to have made it through to the Live finals of Top Garage 2022. Top Garage is seen as one of the “Big One’s” in the industry and making the shortlist from the thousands of garages throughout the UK is a real accolade. We regularly receive excellent customer feedback from our daily feedback request through our management system, but to receive recognition from the industry is the cherry on the top.

The finals will see Oldfields Director Tim grilled by 2 industry experts on 1st October at Delphi Technologies Training Centre in Warwick to find out how we operate, what are our plans and why we think we should be considered to be the “Top Garage” in our category.

Tim said “we’re over the moon to be flying the flag for Herefordshire among a whole host of amazing garages from the length and breadth of the UK. We try really hard to provide excellent service levels and continue to develop our business with our aim of being the best independent garage in the area. None of this would be possible without our excellent team. Our customers will know Dan and Katie on our customer service side but behind the scenes Kevin, Andy, Sam, Chris and Joe in our workshop help ensure we continue to offer a high quality service”. Tim paid special mention to “Mum and Dad” adding “Oldfields wouldn’t be here if Mum and Dad [Paul and Cheryl Benson] wouldn’t have started us on our journey 30 plus years ago. I know they are proud of what we have achieved and I hope to continue making them proud in the future.”

To view all the finalists, visit Top Garage 2022 finalists announced – Aftermarketonline.net

Oldfields Takes Award for Best Independent Garage Specialists for 2022

Wednesday 31st August 2022

We are delighted to announce that we have won the SME News “Best Independent Garage Specialists – Herefordshire” for 2022. We’ve had this under wraps until we were officially allowed to reveal this news. The official press release is available is below!

“SME News Magazine has announced the winners of the 2022 Midlands Enterprise Awards.

Now running for five consecutive years, the Midlands Enterprise programme is created to acknowledge and award those SMEs of all different sizes covering a range of businesses and industries that are based within the Midlands. The region is often described as the beating heart of the British industry and is a strong force in opening new avenues and business opportunities to most SMEs. The aim of the programme like every year is to recognise the best SME businesses and give them the exposure that they rightly deserve.

Awards Coordinator Holly Blackwood commented on the success of this year’s programme: “It has been a delight and an honour to organise this year’s edition of the Midlands Enterprise Awards. As always we have endeavoured to highlight those that businesses and individuals who are redefining their respective industries in the region, and acting as pacesetters. I offer my sincere congratulations to all of those who have been listed among the winners and hope you all have a fantastic rest of the year ahead.”

SME News prides itself on the validity of its awards and winners. The awards are given solely on merit and are awarded to commend those most deserving for their ingenuity and hard work, distinguishing them from their competitors and proving them worthy of recognition.

To learn more about our award winners and to gain insight into the working practices of the “best of the best”, please visit the SME News website (https://www.sme-news.co.uk/awards/midlands-enterprise-awards/) where you can access the winners supplement.”

Tim from Oldfields said “It’s great for the team to receive this award. We strive to make sure we have the best service experience for our customers and recognition like this helps to validate what we are doing. We’ll continue to offer the best service possible going forwards!”

Oldfields Garage Services (2022 Winner: Midlands Enterprise Awards) – SME News (sme-news.co.uk)

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Top Garage Competition 2022 – Semi Finals!

Sunday 10th July 2022

We’re really pleased that out of thousands of UK-wide garages we have been shortlisted and made it through to the Semi-Final of the UK Top Garage Competition 2022, run by Aftermarket Magazine. Some of the best garages in the UK have been previous winners and we’re among some very good company.

The next stage will be very challenging and will require us to be on our “A” game to show them why we should be among the finalists at the Awards Ceremony in Coventry on 1st October!