The winner will need to show high levels of customer satisfaction across all the departments of the dealership, including the workshop, as well as proving financial success. The judges will also want to see evidence of innovation and strong sales of both new and used vehicles. You must provide audited accounts for the past three years and customer testimonials to support your entry. The judges will also consider dealerships that have turned-around the business and greatly improved their service to customers and their profits.
Rossetts Commercials takes top Mercedes-Benz dealer prize
Surrey and Sussex Mercedes-Benz truck and van specialist Rossetts Commercials has carried off the manufacturer’s most coveted award for dealers.
Rossetts beat off the challenge of 21 other franchised agents nationwide to take the prestigious Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicle Dealer of the Year title for 2007.
Dealer Principal Robert Maxwell stepped up to collect the trophy from Wilfried Steffen, President and CEO of Mercedes-Benz UK , Ian Jones, Managing Director for Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles in the UK, and guest-of-honour Martin Whitmarsh, CEO Vodafone McLaren Mercedes F1 and Chief Operating Officer, McLaren Group.
Among those leading the applause were Rossetts Sales Director Brian Phippen and Group Service Managers Perry Reeves and Steve Wright, who were also at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart for the awards evening.
A triumphant Robert Maxwell declared: “We all had our fingers crossed but I never imagined that in the face of such tough competition we would come away with the biggest prize of all.
“Our success owes everything to the hard work and enthusiasm of our 160 employees and each of them has played their part in bringing the trophy back to the south-east. It’s a fantastic achievement and underlines the unstinting commitment to customer service that runs through this company at every level.”
Competing dealers are judged over the year against a host of different criteria including vehicle, labour and parts sales performances and their all-important CSI (Customer Service Index) ratings, which measure customer feedback. The strongest all-rounder invariably takes the Dealer of the Year title.
Rossetts Commercials is co-owned by Mr Maxwell and Eddi Zoratti, who have invested more than £4 million in new and improved facilities in recent years.
The company has a headquarters on the Meadow Road Industrial Estate in Worthing, and other dealerships in Eastern Road , Aldershot, and Manor Royal, Crawley, on the Compton Industrial Estate in Eastbourne and the Cathedral Hill Industrial Estate in Guildford .
As well as providing a full complement of sales and after sales services for the award-winning Mercedes-Benz truck and van line-up, Rossetts is responsible for the popular Mitsubishi Fuso Canter light truck range and is an EvoBus UK bus and coach dealer.
Vito’s ‘X-factor’ gives security firm the edge
A Reigate security firm wanted a van with extra bite to transport its German shepherd guard dogs – and found the perfect vehicle in the storming new Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport-X.
The stunning, limited edition model boasts a turbo-charged 3.0-litre V6 diesel engine mated to a five-speed automatic gearbox, and was supplied to Schutzhund Security by Crawley dealer Rossetts Commercials.
The gleaming black Vito Sport-X produces an eye-watering 204hp, sufficient to propel it from 0-60mph in just 8.3 seconds and on to a maximum speed of 122mph.
“Having that extra oomph means that if you get into a spot of trouble you can put your foot down and get out of it quickly,” says Schutzhund Securities’ co-Director Lee Gay.
“I also wanted a vehicle with a professional image which I could use when meeting clients, yet would still be fully functional as a working dog unit. The Vito Sport-X is a winner on both counts.”
The company, which is in the process of obtaining Approved Contractor status from the Security Industry Authority, supplies guards dogs to protect a wide variety of offices, warehouses and local authority premises. It was established as a limited company in June 2006 and has grown beyond expectations.
“We contract a lot of work out,” says Mr Gay, whose co-Director Christopher Gay just happens to share the same surname. “We only use German shepherds because they have been deployed successfully by the police, army and prison service over many years and do not have a very positive image, unlike some other breeds.”
Schutzhund Security’s new Vito Sport-X is a Dualiner model, with a second row of seats. The company spent nearly £6,000 on a conversion by Icecraft Refrigeration Services, of Blandford Forum, Dorset, which fitted two bespoke dog kennels that keep their canine occupants in climate-controlled luxury.
“We’ve really gone to town with this vehicle,” explains Mr Gay. “The interior is just incredible – there’s air-conditioning in the rear for the dogs and lighting in the individual kennels. They’ve even covered the kennels with black vinyl that matches the original trim. We’ve absolutely delighted with it.”
The Mercedes-Benz Vito Sport-X is a real head-turner, thanks in no small measure to Brabus. The renowned tuning and body styling specialist, whose products are usually to be found adorning high-end sports cars, has pitched in with 18-inch Monoblock-S alloy wheels and an aggressively deep front spoiler with integrated foglamps.
Adding to its eye-catching style, the model also features a chrome front grille and chrome steel side bars with integrated steps, colour-coded bumpers and side trims, roof rails and – in case you were still in any doubt! – ‘Sport-X’ badges on the driver and front passenger doors.
The twin themes of performance and exclusivity continue on the inside. There’s a soft-feel instrument panel with Silverstone trim, while the comfort seats, steering wheel and gearshift are all trimmed in leather. The driver also gets a multi-function steering wheel from which to control the COMAND radio, six-CD autochanger and satellite navigation system at the touch of a button.
Other features that enhance the vehicle’s driving appeal and comfort include cruise control with Speedtronic speed limiter, air-conditioning, light and rain sensors allowing for automatic operation of headlights and windscreen wipers, and electrically-operated front windows and door mirrors.
And, of course, being a Mercedes-Benz, the Vito Sport-X combines all of that power and performance with a comprehensive armoury of high-tech active and passive safety systems, including the latest Adaptive Electronic Stability Program®.
“All the extras you get with the Vito Sport-X it makes worth paying that little bit more,” adds Mr Gay. “It’s also great fun to drive – the V6 engine is just fantastic.”
Red-blooded male drivers had better keep their wits about them if they get too close to the McIndoe Surgical Centre’s new Mercedes van – because its eye-catching livery may well prove a distraction.
Both sides and the rear doors of the Sprinter 313CDI feature striking images of an attractive young model, whose obvious charms are now helping to promote the McIndoe Centre as a leader in the fast-growing field of cosmetic and reconstructive plastic surgery.
A totally self-contained, specialist private hospital, the McIndoe Surgical Centre stands in the grounds of the NHS Queen Victoria Hospital, in East Grinstead. It is named after the father of plastic surgery Sir Archibald McIndoe, who is renowned for his pioneering treatment on the same site of airmen burned and injured during the Second World War.
The McIndoe Surgical Centre offers a wide range of services, including cataract, ENT and oral maxillofacial surgery and dental implants. It has 65 shareholders, the majority of them consultants and medical staff working at the Queen Victoria Hospital and other NHS Trusts in the region. Prominent among their number is Peter Arnstein, one of the world’s top plastic surgeons, who has also starred, with colleague John Pereira, on Living TV’s popular series Extreme Makeover .
The McIndoe Surgical Centre is managed by the BMI Healthcare Group – and that’s where it’ new Mercedes, which was supplied by Crawley dealer Rossetts Commercials, comes in.
An integral part of the hospital is its Sterile Services Department, which specialises in cleaning instruments used in surgery. It is a facility that many other hospitals do not have, so the McIndoe Centre has begun marketing this service to other hospitals within the BMI Group.
First to take advantage was The Princess Margaret Hospital in Windsor, which awarded the McIndoe team a contract to clean its own instruments and now receives regular visits – twice daily, with another on Saturdays – from the Mercedes Sprinter.
Katy Muir, Marketing Manager for the McIndoe Surgical Centre, explains: “The crucial job of sterilising surgical instruments is a science in its own right. For example, not only can our specialists tell you exactly when each piece of equipment was cleaned, they can also tell you what type of detergent, and precisely how much of it, was used.”
She continues: “We wanted a vehicle that would be comfortable, safe and reliable, as well as exuding an image of quality. The Sprinter ticked all of the boxes in terms of its specification and, of course, as everybody knows, vans don’t come any better than a Mercedes-Benz.”
Launched last year, the new-generation Mercedes Sprinter combines dynamic good looks, ‘bullet-proof’ build quality, comprehensive specification and ingenious technology. Highlights of the range include best-in-class side-loading door widths, outstanding ergonomics and comfort, a powerful and clean CDI diesel engine line-up and a comprehensive armoury of safety features, including an advanced new version of the remarkable ESP® anti-skid system called Adaptive ESP®.
SCR Euro 4 Axor BioDiesel Supplied by Rossetts Aldershot
SCR Euro 4 Axor barks up the BioDiesel tree
Environmentally-friendly heating pioneer The Energy Crops Company is underlining its 'green' credentials by running its new Mercedes six-wheeler on BioDiesel.
The Axor 2633 has a BlueTec® Euro 4 SCR (Selective Catalytic Reduction) engine which is being fuelled with a 50:50 blend of BioDiesel and standard mineral diesel. As a result, its emissions are exceptionally low.
Supplied by Aldershot dealer Rossetts Commercials, the new 26-tonner is The Energy Crops Company's first truck. It has a tank body, with high-pressure blowing system, by Feldbinder UK, of Spalding.
BioDiesel is the first clean fuel that fleet operators can use without necessarily having to purchase new vehicles or construct additional facilities. Significantly, it can only be used by trucks equipped with SCR technology; those that rely on the rival EGR (Exhaust Gas Recirculation) system are not compatible with BioDiesel.
Using BioDiesel fuel is almost CO 2 neutral. This is because the CO 2 released was already contained in the vegetable matter as it grew. BioDiesel produces zero sulphur and aromatic emissions, and lower particulate emissions. It is biodegradable and non-toxic, so better for humans, animals and plants.
The Energy Crops Company is based in Cobham, Surrey. It was founded in 2005 to provide sustainable wood-fired heating solutions to a wide range of commercial and industrial customers. The company specialises in the supply of wood pellet fuel and, through its network of partners, offers a complete service for converting to biomass heating.
Managing Director Graham Hilton explains: "Given rising fossil fuel prices and increasing concerns over climate change, sustainable and cost-effective fuels such as wood pellets are rapidly gaining popularity and government support."
Although immature in the UK , the wood pellet industry is well established on the Continent and particularly popular in Austria , Germany and Scandinavia . The dried pellets are produced from wood taken from sustainable forests and are a carbon neutral heat source, the CO 2 absorbed by trees during growth cancelling out that emitted when they are burnt.
The pellets require specially adapted biomass boilers but are highly efficient, producing twice as much energy as 'wet wood' 1kg of pellets provides as much heat as a 1 kilowatt electric fire running for five hours.
The new Axor has a maximum payload of 16 tonnes. Prior to its arrival, The Energy Crops Company's wood pellet distribution was handled in its entirety by third-party hauliers.
The truck has been assigned to a prestigious contract with Nottinghamshire County Council which, over the last three years, has converted coal-fired boilers in 15 of its schools to wood pellet units; following the award of a £500,000 Bioenergy Capital Grant, more schools are now due to follow.
In January The Energy Crops Company was awarded the contract to supply Nottinghamshire with wood pellets. Now the UK's largest distributor of this innovative fuel source, it currently imports the biomass material from Northern Ireland but is working with a number of sawmills to expand local production throughout the UK.
Mr Hilton says: "The Axor is working out of our store in Goole, East Yorkshire and has been very well received by our driver, while the support we've received from Rossetts Commercials has also been first-class.
"Moving forward, it is our objective to set up a reliable nationwide distribution network for our fuel. There is every chance that Mercedes-Benz and Rossetts will have a big part to play in what we confidently believe will be a very exciting future."
We are delighted to have been nominated for Dealer of th Year in the coveted Motor Transport Awards 2008 
Surrey and Sussex Mercedes-Benz truck and van specialist Rossetts Commercials has carried off the manufacturer’s most coveted award for dealers.
Among those leading the applause were Rossetts Sales Director Brian Phippen and Group Service Managers Perry Reeves and Steve Wright, who were also at the Mercedes-Benz Museum in Stuttgart for the awards evening.
facilities in recent years.
Red-blooded male drivers had better keep their wits about them if they get too close to the McIndoe Surgical Centre’s new Mercedes van – because its eye-catching livery may well prove a distraction.
SCR Euro 4 Axor barks up the BioDiesel tree
