The origins of the company began some 60 years ago with Loders Garage
(Dorchester) Ltd operating from what is now a busy petrol forecourt,
just across the road from our company headquarters at The Grove, Dorchester.
The Company first represented Volkswagen
in Dorchester in
1967 with Volkswagen
Yeovil being added in 1975.
Loder’s affiliation with Volkswagen is one of the longest in the
UK and is something that is held very highly by the company. Although
the Dorchester business has remained at The Grove throughout, the Yeovil
operation moved from Pen Mill to a purpose built facility in 1990 on
the Houndstone Business Park.
A further Dealership was built at this site in 1994 to accommodate Loders
Audi, which has in turn recently moved to a brand new flagship site also
on Houndstone Business Park. Located just round the corner from the previous
dealership, Yeovil
Audi provides a much larger
service and parts department, an eight car showroom and an area displaying
over sixty used vehicles and demonstrators. It is widely regarded as
the most modern and up-to-date Audi showroom in the country.
In 2000, the Company was pleased to
be selected as the operating dealer for Toyota
Yeovil and the
surrounding area. A brand new showroom and
workshops were opened for Toyota customers
in July of the same year. The Group then
completed a major redevelopment of its
Dorchester site, which now boasts a purpose-built, ‘stand-alone’ Accident
Repair Centre
for the surrounding area and a major refurbishment
of our long standing Volkswagen dealership.
In July 2003 a new franchise was added
to the group. Loders Skoda opened at West
Hendford, Yeovil but this was always seen
as a temporary measure and with Audi’s
move to their new premises, Loders
Skoda has
neatly relocated to Audi’s previous site. The new
association with Skoda is particularly exciting
with a brand that is making huge strides
globally, and has added further strength
to the Group as a whole.
In June 2005 directors of the Motor Group purchased
all of the shares held by the Loder family as part
of a Management Buyout.
In 2009 Loders gained additions to the Group in the form of Peugeot dealerships in both Yeovil and Dorchester and also opened a new Hyundai dealership in Yeovil. Loders Approved Used Vehicle centres opened in Yeovil and Dorchester adding to the diversity of the business.
Loders Motor Group now operates two Volkswagen dealerships, two Peugeot dealerships, a Toyota dealership, an Audi dealership, a Skoda dealership, a Hyundai dealership, two Approved Used Centres and two Accident Repair Centres. Employing over 350 staff, this small family business has grown considerably in terms of size but most importantly in its professionalism and genuine customer satisfaction.
To help achieve all this, Managing Director Brian Keene has encouraged
the introduction of modern systems and controls without losing too much
of the ‘Family Values’ atmosphere. In today’s world
of saturated communications, with emails, faxes and telephone calls,
the philosophy of Loders has always been to maintain a strong ‘personal’ element
and to deliver its products and services with ‘real customer experience’.
Loders Motor Group was recently named
in Motor Traders Top 200 Business review
as the fifth fastest growing motor group
in the country. Last year the company was
also awarded the accolade of ‘Best
Customer Care’ in the Western Gazette ‘Choice
Business Awards’. |