CHILDREN THANK LIVERPOOL COMPANY FOR SAFETY DONATION

A Merseyside primary school has thanked one of the city’s businesses for donating clothing to help keep its children safe during the dark mornings and evenings.

Hale C of E Primary School has received 50 fluorescent jackets to ensure the children are clearly visible when out walking to the local park and church for events.

The donation was made by Liverpool Volkswagen Van Centre and means the school no longer has to rely on borrowing high visibility jackets in future.

Marianne Mowatt, headteacher at Hale C of E Primary School, welcomed the delivery of the jackets.

She said: “Donations to the school are always welcome, but this one is important to keep the children together in a safe way while outside of the school’s premises.

“The children are very excited about the jackets and I can’t thank Liverpool Volkswagen Van Centre enough for them.

“We often take the children on walks around the village, including to the church and park, so having them clearly visibly, especially at this time of year, is vital.”

Liverpool Volkswagen Van Centre has been based in Speke for just over one year and the centre’s head of business, Dave Cowan, is always looking at ways of forging links with the local community.

He said: “The van centre is delighted to be able to provide the school’s children with the jackets as it reinforces one of the key criteria for Volkswagen, namely safety.

“As a relatively new business to the area it’s vital to integrate it with the local community and we’ll continue to find ways of doing so.

“It’s great to see young children making use of the jackets and we hope they are encouraged to wear safe clothing after leaving school.”

LIVERPOOL BUSINESS CULTIVATES SUCCESS WITH GREENTHUMB

A Liverpool retailer is celebrating one of its biggest account wins, after linking with the UK’s leading lawn treatment company.

GreenThumb, a nationwide franchise with over 200 branches, has instructed Liverpool Volkswagen Van Centre to supply up to 300 commercial vehicles for its fleet in 2011.

An initial order of almost 100 Caddy Maxi vans has already been delivered this year; by the end of 2012 GreenThumb’s entire fleet of almost 700 vans will be solely Volkswagen.

GreenThumb provides feed and weed treatments for more than 450,000 lawns throughout the UK.

David Collison, GreenThumb’s marketing manager, said: “GreenThumb is a rapidly expanding business and we were happy to partner with a like-minded company in the supply of our company fleet.

“Volkswagen’s Caddy Maxi is proving very popular with our franchisees, particularly with its excellent fuel efficiency.

“The customer service we received from Liverpool Volkswagen Van Centre combined with the financial and service package, made it a simple decision to choose them.”

David Cowan, brand manager at Liverpool Volkswagen Van Centre, said: “This is a fantastic account win for the company and provides evidence of our excellent customer service standards.
“We look forward to providing GreenThumb with their fleet of commercial Volkswagens and keeping them on the road.”

BUSINESS IS BOOMING FOR NEW LIVERPOOL COMPANY

One of Liverpool’s newest businesses has posted better than expected results for its first month since opening, resulting in a new search for staff.

Liverpool Volkswagen Van Centre’s new van sales were 80 per cent up on target, while service hours were up 25 per cent.

The positive news for the Speke-based dealership, means the company has vacancies to fill.

David Cowan, head of business at the Evans Road site, said: “This is excellent news for the business, given the economic climate and the fact we’re new to the city.

“It shows how the Volkswagen brand provides superb value for money and the staff at the van centre are delivering what customers want.

“We hope this trend continues and look forward to more encouraging results and business throughout 2011.”

The current positions available are sales executives, technicians and drivers. Interested parties should forward CVs to Liverpool Van Centre.

SWANSWAY GROUPS INVESTS MILLIONS IN MERSEYSIDE

Merseyside will soon see the return of the Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles brand to the city, after an absence of over six years.

The retailer group Swansway has invested almost £2m in a state-of-the-art van centre in Speke, bringing with it 15 new jobs.

Work started on the new Liverpool Volkswagen Van Centre in April, with the doors opening at the Woodend Avenue site in January.

The new centre will include a five van showroom, seven bay workshop and dedicated MOT bay.

David Cowan, Liverpool Volkswagen Van Centre’s brand manager, said: “Liverpool has been without a dedicated brand franchise for too long and we are delighted to bring Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles back to the city.

“This investment demonstrates our commitment to providing businesses and van drivers on Merseyside with an official Volkswagen facility.

“The site will be one of biggest in the UK and Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles’ only stand alone site in the country with the latest corporate branding, something we’re very proud of.

“As part of the new development we’ve created 15 new jobs and with future growth expected more jobs could be generated.”

The van centre is expected to generate sales of approximately 1,250 new and used vehicles in 2011, with a targeted increase in 2012.

David added: “Previously, Volkswagen van customers in Liverpool had to travel to Wrexham, Preston or Manchester for brand-backed sales.

“The new centre will remove the need for customers to travel any distance for all their Volkswagen needs.

“We’re looking forward to welcoming new and old customers of the brand when we open in January.”

Simon Elliott, director of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles UK, said: “Liverpool is one of the UK’s thriving cities and we’re delighted Swansway has invested in a Volkswagen franchise for the city.

“This site will be a flagship Volkswagen van centre and we’re looking forward to watching the business grow.”