North East based automotive group celebrates major milestone and expansion

Family-run, North East based automotive retail group Pulman is celebrating its 25th Anniversary and reflecting on the business’ expansion across the region.

Mike Pulman opened his first Durham Volkswagen showroom 25 years ago, starting with only 17 employees and one location representing one Volkswagen Group Brand. Fast forward to 2023 and the retailer now employs over 260 staff.

With five locations from Cramlington in the North of the region to Durham and Sunderland, Pulman represents six Volkswagen Group Brands.

It took two years for its flagship showroom to be built. Finally, in 2000 Pulman Volkswagen moved into its now Head Office location, Abbey Road, Durham, where it employs over 85 members of staff. From humble beginnings, this flagship site was the first retailer in the UK to have a Café located in its showroom.

Keith Ramshaw, Volkswagen Sales Manager, commented: “Compared to the size of where we first started to where we are now is an unbelievable achievement for the whole group. Going from a 5 to a 10-car showroom in a short time, growing to what we are now is fantastic.”

In 2014 Pulman launched its first Škoda retailer in Durham starting with a 4-car pop-up showroom beside Pulman Volkswagen. It shared Volkswagen’s used car display and workshop facilities. Two years later in 2016, Pulman Škoda Belmont was launched with a purpose-built showroom including Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles and another café.

Chris Slater, Commercial Director, added: “All of the sites we’ve added to the Pulman family have all brought their own individual touches and feelings to the business, but our core values have always been the same.”

In 2020 Pulman acquired their third location in Cramlington, launching the Pulman Brand for the first time North of the Tyne. 2020 also saw the launch of Rent-A-Car, based across Durham, Sunderland and Cramlington, offering Pulman customers flexible rentals on Volkswagen, Škoda, SEAT and CUPRA cars.

Ian Buckle, Managing Director of Pulman Group, concluded: “This year we are celebrating 25 years of serving our customers across the North East. What makes us different from other car retailers is the fact that we are one big Pulman family.

“We give our amazing employees the chance to grow and develop and deliver that fantastic customer experience that is at the heart of everything we do. I would like to say a big thank you to all our fantastic customers, amazing employees and everyone who has supported us for the last 25 years, we’re looking forward to the next 25 years.”

By Matthew Neville – Senior Correspondent, Bdaily

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