The Co-operative Motor Group Renault Preston among best service centres in UK

Three motor technicians from Preston have achieved Senior Technician status in the national Automotive Technician Accreditation (ATA) training scheme, governed by the Institute of Motor Industry (IMI).

Twenty-two-year-old Lee Machin, Gary Campbell, 24 and Joel Jameson, 26, of The Co-operative Motor Group Renault Preston, received the accreditation in October, placing their dealership at Ashton-on-Ribble among the most qualified in the UK.

All had to pass an online theoretical test and a series of practical tasks designed to test their experience and ability.

Service team manager Gary Smith described the awards as the ‘icing on the cake’ for his 15-man team, which already has three Renault Technical Experts - the highest rank in the Renault servicing hierarchy.

“I’m immensely proud of the lads,” he said. “Our team is now possibly the biggest and most highly qualified in the The Co-operative Motor Group network. We service 10,000 cars a year – an average 35 cars a day.

 “Vehicles are becoming increasingly sophisticated and complex, so it is vital that our staff have the degree of expertise necessary to ensure 100 per cent customer satisfaction.

“ATA is a highly respected nationwide initiative to raise standards of car servicing and repair and it’s very important to us that our customers can see that we are professionally accredited.”

The Co-operative Motor Group Renault Preston has built a solid reputation for delivering a highly efficient and effective service operation, with attention to detail that includes providing courtesy vehicles to collect and drop off service customers.

Regular clients are not confined to Renault drivers, but also include owners of BMWs, Jaguars and Aston Martins. It's one of two The Co-operative Motor Group dealerships in Lancashire, the other being The Co-operative Motor Group Renault, Amy Johnson Way, Blackpool.

The group also has another 21 dealerships across Yorkshire and the Midlands, forming part of The Co-operative – the world’s largest consumer co-operative formed this year from an amalgamation of The Co-operative Group and United Co-operatives.

With 4.5 million members, 87,500 employees and a turnover of more than £9 billion, the new organisation operates more than 4,500 trading outlets throughout the UK, including food stores, pharmacies, travel branches and funeral homes.

The Co-operative Motor Group general manager Tony Guest explained: “We are proud to be part of such a successful customer-centred organisation. We realise that our workforce is our greatest asset, and the dedication they put in directly benefits our customers.”

David Greenway, Renault UK’s Head of Network Training commented: “Renault’s commitment to deliver, ‘Excellence first time, every time’ to our customers is further enhanced by reaching approximately 300 Senior Technician’s with IMI ATA Diagnostician status nationwide. We congratulate The Co-operative Motor Group Renault Preston and more importantly Lee, Gary and Joel on this high-level achievement.”