Post by comstar on Dec 7, 2021 18:16:43 GMT
A brief history:
Started n Doncaster in the ’70s, of all places. Founded by Yorkshire brothers Martyn and Paul Carnell in 1975 with its base in Marshgate, by the mid-1980s the operation had grown into three outlets, selling both bikes and cars. Then, progressively, it took off and went nationwide.
By the mid-90s the number of outlets had risen to 14 – 10 car and four bikes then, in 1997, it went turbo after being bought by Dixons Motors, a large Yorkshire-based car retailer for a reported £12.4million. Under Dixon ownership (although the Carnell brothers stayed on under the deal for two more years) Carnell opened nine more bike dealers up to July 2000 and also a mail order business via a catalogue – Carnell’s Big Bike Book.
Soon after things started to go wrong. The “stack ’em high, sell ’em cheap” approach had already resulted in a damning reputation for aftersales which management repeatedly attempted to address. One scheme in 2001 meant no staff were allowed to go home until all that day’s calls had been responded to.
Started n Doncaster in the ’70s, of all places. Founded by Yorkshire brothers Martyn and Paul Carnell in 1975 with its base in Marshgate, by the mid-1980s the operation had grown into three outlets, selling both bikes and cars. Then, progressively, it took off and went nationwide.
By the mid-90s the number of outlets had risen to 14 – 10 car and four bikes then, in 1997, it went turbo after being bought by Dixons Motors, a large Yorkshire-based car retailer for a reported £12.4million. Under Dixon ownership (although the Carnell brothers stayed on under the deal for two more years) Carnell opened nine more bike dealers up to July 2000 and also a mail order business via a catalogue – Carnell’s Big Bike Book.
Soon after things started to go wrong. The “stack ’em high, sell ’em cheap” approach had already resulted in a damning reputation for aftersales which management repeatedly attempted to address. One scheme in 2001 meant no staff were allowed to go home until all that day’s calls had been responded to.
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. (not driving that week, classroom stuff 
