About Autoworld Motor Group

The company was founded 30 years ago by David and Sue Priestnall.- Still owned by Mr and Mrs Priestnall. Mr Priestnall is the company's Managing Director. Thirty years ago David and Sue Priestnall founded Autoswap – a used car operation selling vehicles from a single wooden building. Tony Cordin – Group Operations Director, now runs the group's day-to-day operation. In the last financial year the Autoworld Group turned over in excess of £50 million.

Family values are important to the company – many staff have been with the company for over 10 years. David Priestnall says, “ Our staff are our most important resource” Each employee within the profit centres is expected to display a commitment to customer service above that of our competitors. All the company's transactions are conducted with professionalism and previous customers returning is a core aspect of our marketing strategy. The company's financial success is dependent on the role of staff being - better, faster, smarter - than the competition.

Autoworld currently employs 230 staff in 11 different franchises – Hyundai, Citroen, Suzuki, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Kia and Seat. Also the holder of the Harley Davidson and Triumph motorcycles franchise.

We have an in house graphic design facility, responsible for all the group's advertising and Internet site. Also now open is an off site PDI/ used vehicle prep centre for the group vehicles.

Four sites
- Chesterfield , Brimington Road North - Autoworld Service Centre and showrooms for Citroen, Hyundai, MG Rover, Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Seat, Kia, Suzuki and Triumph – Harley Davidson and Vanworld are also close by on Station Road .
- Sheffield , Abbeydale Road – Seat and Suzuki franchises
- Sheffield , Savile Street – Fiat and Alfa Romeo franchise. Used Cars
- Nottingham , Beeston – Robin Hood Harley-Davidson franchise

History of Autoworld
Back in 1962, when a brand new Cortina cost less than 650 and windscreen washers were the last word in optional features, George Kennings on Vicar lane, Chesterfield took on their youngest ever car salesman. David Priestnall was Just 17 - and he still has the letter offering him the job.
"I couldn't even drive, he says. 'When I sold a car, two other salesman had to deliver it."
David worked for kennings for ten years before striking out on his own in 1972.
"I looked around at other used-car dealers, and decided it was something I could do. The site of a former cinema in Eckington looked like an ideal location, so I borrowed some money from the bank and set up in business."
That was the start of one of North Derbyshire 's biggest success stories. Forty years later David is managing director of Autoworld, one of the longest established and best respected car sales outlets in the East Midlands .
When the lease on the the Eckington Enterprise's premises ran out, David worked briefly from home - then it was time for a major step foreward. He invested in property of his own, and in 1982 Autoswap opened it's doors for the very first time.
"everything looked very different then. The Chesterfieldby-pass still hadn't been built; a light engineering firm stood next door to our premises, and people actually lived in the bungalows at the end of the road."
Autoswap's wooden building was situated on Brimington Road North , just a stone's throw away from the main road to Sheffield : exactly where Autoworld's Fiat showroom now stands. It proved a great success: so much that David was approached with an invitation to take on a new dealership - and Skoda came to Chesterfield .

Expansion
Suzuki came next: little known in the UK twenty years ago, the neat little 4x4s were popular in Australia , where David's sister lived. The 1980 were a boom time for david Priestnall; one building project followed another, and the list of new car franchises began to grow. "No sooner had we made space for Skoda and Suzuki than the Citroen dealership became available - and soon afterwards we took on Fiat and Alfa Romeo." Expansion was a must - and fortunately there was more property available. "The bungalow at the end of the road was for sale; we bought it, and rebuilt on the site. Then the light engineering company next door wanted to move , so we bought up their premises too."
By 1989 the name Autoswap was out of date; it was time for a new look. "We had major new car franchises from Eastern Europe , Japan , France and Italy ; we needed a company name with an International flavour." The obvious choice was Autoworld. Now the company was really going places. For David the high spot came in the early 1990s with the Rover and MG Franchise. "That was the realisation of a dream for me," he reflects. Kennings was built around Rover cars, and now I was selling them." Thirty years on from that first used car lot in Eckington, Autoworld is a multi-site enterprise with eight new car dealerships, brisk trade in nearly new vehicles and an annual turnover which tops 70 Million.

Keeping Family Values in a Changing World
It's thirty years since Autoswap sold it's first used car from a wooden building, and these days the car trade is very different. But some things don't change; family values have always been important to David Priestnall, and Autoworld is very much a family business. "It was my uncle Edwin who first gave me a job as a salesman," he recalls, "and when I decided to go it alone my wife Susan backed me all the way." Susan Priestnall has been a director since the early days, and more recently the couple's two sons have come on board. Stephen achieved the prestigious MBA postgraduate management qualification from Leeds University , and joined the company two years ago. He is now in charge of corporate development and future projects. Younger son Simon gained experienced with a large PLC motor group before coming to Autoworld last year. He is now sales manager at Vanworld-uk.com Autoworld's commercials vehicle centre. Autoworld employ's over 250 people in sales, servicing, administration and management. "Our staff are our most important resource, and many people have been with us for over ten years, " says David Priestnall. "We set out to ensure they enjoy coming to work."

Autoworld Facts
- Autoworld now sells over 8,000 vehicles a year.

- Autoworld now has a dedicated Service Centre conveniently situated next to our Dealerships on Brimington Road .

- All Autoworld's advertising is checked by Lawco Consultancy to comply to consumer credit regulations.

- Autoworld is within the top 150 Motor Traders in the UK .

- Autoworld works closely with the leading company ‘Black Horse' to supply competitive finance packages.

- The Suzuki dealership has been named the best in the UK for three years in a row.

- Harleyworld has won the prestigious Harley-Davidson Bar and Shield award for overall excellence two years in a row.

- The service and repair centre and bodyshop hold over 17,000 parts in stock and care for over 35,000 vehicles a year.

- The Fiat & Alfa Romeo facility in Sheffield (Savile St) cost over 2 million to construct.

- The NSPCC, local schools and cancer research are just a few of the charities Autoworld supports.