Bristol Street Motors Hyundai welcomes Neil Bianchi as managing director

Vertu Motors' Bristol Street Motors Silverlink Hyundai car dealership welcomes Neil Bianchi as new general manager.

Bianchi, who has been with the group for eight years, is moving from its Darlington business to a Silverlink dealer.

Vertu Motors said he has worked in the auto retail industry for nearly 30 years since taking on the role of junior sales executive.

Robert Forrester, chief executive of Bristol Street Motors, said: "I am delighted to welcome Neil as our new general manager of Bristol Street Motors' Silverlink Hyundai plant.

"Neil has been a loyal member of the Bristol Street team for many years and I am delighted to see his career go from strength to strength.

"This is an exciting time for Bristol Streetcars. We are investing to grow our product portfolio and despite the fact that dealers are unable to open to customers, sales remain strong."

Online sales, along with video and phone appointments, have contributed to "solid performance" during the pandemic, Forrester said.

“I am delighted that we are now able to welcome customers back to our dealerships, and I know our dealerships are ready to provide the impeccable in-person service that we pride ourselves on,” Forrester said.

Forrester said recently that AM100 PLC will continue to drive a "big brand" image after adding 30 retail auto stores in 15 months.

During the reporting period, Vertu added 18 sales outlets, including new franchise partners BMW, Mini and BMW Motorrad through the £19.6 million acquisition of Inchcape's Cooper division in December.

Two months ago it bought Sandycliffe's Nottingham Kia business for £1.9m.The business has now been consolidated into the group's Volkswagen franchise in West Bridgeford, Nottingham.

Vertu's multi-franchise strategy has seen the Citroen brand add to existing Ford dealerships in Worcester and Macclesfield, while the group has also added Peugeots to the Edinburgh dealerships that already represent Kia, Suzuki and Mitsubishi.

Commenting on the appointment, Bianchi said: "I am very excited about taking on my new role at Bristol Street Motor Company Silverlink Hyundai. The dealership is one of our newer businesses with amazing facilities and I look forward to serving Excellent brand to meet this new challenge.

"Since I joined the team in 2013, I have always had a very clear promotion strategy, which was a clear advantage when joining Bristol Streetcar.