South: Westover dealerships to be rebranded as Hendy sites

Westover car dealerships in Dorset and Wiltshire are set to be rebranded Hendy Group in a move to bring all of the motoring giant’s franchises under the one name.

Chief executive Paul Hendy said the dealerships will take the Hendy name from the beginning of October as part of the acquisition of Westover which was completed earlier this year and is already proving a successful move for the automotive giant.

“Hendy is a name which has a strong heritage in Dorset and the time is now right to begin replacing the Westover name,” said Hendy. “The newly acquired dealerships have integrated extremely well into the Hendy portfolio and it will be great to see this replicated with the Hendy name over the doors.

“Our colleagues have been extremely positive about our acquisition and we look forward to having everyone operating under the Hendy name.”

He said customers have been equally supportive of the acquisition with many welcoming the Hendy name back to the region. Hendy operated car dealerships in Dorset from 1913 to 1998, has had an Iveco presence for the last 30 years and recently opened a Car Store in the county.

The rebranding exercise will involve 24 dealerships and 650 colleagues in a major logistics project which will see new signs installed across dealerships in Poole, Ferndown, Bournemouth, Christchurch, Corfe Mullen and Salisbury.

“This is a major milestone in our 160^th year of operation,” said Hendy. “The Westover business is firmly part of Hendy now and the rebrand reinforces our commitment to the region. The integration of Westover strengthens our position as a billion-pound-turnover company as we look towards the future.”