Auto Trader : The industry's very best celebrated at the 2020 virtual Auto Trader Retailer Awards

Press release The industry's very best celebrated at the 2020 virtual Auto Trader Retailer Awards 26th Oct 2020

Friday saw the UK's most progressive car retailers recognised in Auto Trader's Retailer Awards for their exceptional customer service, digital excellence, and for successfully adapting to the unprecedented challenges that COVID-19 has presented. As a result of the pandemic, the usual central London location was replaced for the first ever virtual Retailer Awards ceremony.

The top accolade, the Retailer of the Year, was awarded by Auto Trader, the UK's largest digital automotive marketplace, to three businesses representing the very best in the automotive retailing sector:

• Cedar Specialist Cars (under 50 cars);
• Alex Scott Cars (50-100 cars); and
• Luscombe Motors (over 100 cars), who were previous winners of the title in 2018.

From an engaging digital experience to outstanding customer service, the Awards recognised the top performing automotive retailers in the UK across seven different award categories, including the Customer Experience Award. Based on one of the largest mystery shopping exercises of its type, the category saw 1,000 of Auto Trader's best performing retailers gradually whittled down to just three deserving winners via three mystery shopping phases: email (1,000 retailers), telephone (434 retailers) and a personalised video tour of a car (150 retailers) which given the current situation replaced a face-to-face forecourt interaction. The winners were:

• Harvey Cooper Cars (under 50 cars)
• Martin Brothers Motor Group (50-100 cars); and
• The Donalds Group (over 100 cars).

In total, 18 trophies were awarded, including two self-nomination categories: the Business Initiative of the Year, which recognised a retailer that had taken bold steps to respond to the changing needs of its customers, and the People & Culture Award, which identified those businesses that are going above and beyond to provide the very best working culture for its colleagues.

This year saw the highest number of self-nominations ever to enter the Awards, which were judged by an independent panel of experts from some of the UK's best-known brands: Google UK (Matthew Legge, Automotive Lead), Rightmove (Sarah Brown, Consumer Marketing Director), The Specialist Works (Sharon Brown, Group Marketing Director), and Ennis & Co. (Lynda Ennis, founder and CEO).

Commenting on this year's winner, Auto Trader's Chief Executive Officer, Nathan Coe,said:'The automotive industry is by nature, incredibly resilient, but we've been amazed at just how successful some retailers have been at adapting to the unprecedented challenges of COVID-19. We've seen examples of businesses who have truly gone the extra mile to respond to changing consumer behaviour and expectations, not just making the car buying process easier and more efficient, but safer too. We've also been hugely inspired by leadership teams that have taken equally bold steps to protect their colleagues and to instil rewarding and collaborative working cultures.

'In this climate we think it's more important than ever to step back and to recognise true retailing excellence. And based on the most comprehensive judging process, there is no doubt that this year's winners are incredibly deserving and truly represent the very best of our industry.'

Winners of the 2020 Auto Trader Retailer Awards:

Award category	Award winners 1-50 cars	Award winners 50-100 cars	Award winners: 100 + cars
Digital Excellence Award	Promotors Limited	Alpha Motors of Wigan	Avalon Motor Company
Customer Experience Award (mystery shopping)	Harvey Cooper Cars	Martin Brothers Motor Group	The Donalds Group
Customer Choice Award	E.S.A. Automotive	Donnelly Volkswagen	M&T Motor Company
Business Initiative of the Year (self-nomination)	PGI Garage	Quirks Car Company	Swansway
Retailer of the Year Award	Cedar Specialist Cars	Alex Scott Cars	Luscombe Motors
Rising Star of the Year	Jamie Caple, Car Quay
	Under 200 cars	Over 200 cars
People & Culture Award (self-nomination)	PGI Garage	Jardine Motors Group

As well as trophies, the winners were provided with a host of assets to promote their success to potential car buyers, including window stickers, digital logos, and social media posts.