Top Awards For South East Partnership

Business partners Marc Matthew and Peter Isted of Lifestyle Europe, have had an incredible year.

Having already won the prestigious title of Best Retail Group, awarded by the motor industry magazine, AM, for the second year running, Lifestyle has gone on to triumph with further award wins both within the automotive industry and the public, for its levels of customer care.

In addition to this year’s AM award, Lifestyle Ford has picked up three Ford Motor Company Chairman’s Awards for customer service, in a scheme voted for directly by Lifestyle’s customers. In judging the awards, Ford’s research teams conducted extensive enquiries into how customers felt about the quality of attention they received when buying a new car or having one serviced.

Marc Matthew, Chairman, and Peter Isted, Managing Director, started the company in May 2001 and their focus on delivering such good customer service has enabled them to expand the company to nine locations throughout Kent, Surrey and Sussex, in a network employing 450 staff. As Marc explains, this trio of Ford awards is yet further recognition of the hard work and dedication to customer care, on behalf of the staff at Lifestyle which, in turn, ensures that the group is able to buck the trend during this difficult period for much of the motor trade:

”The awards from Ford are very special, as they are judged directly and anonymously by our customers. It’s the ultimate test of the service we provide and a tribute to our members of staff who treat every customer as a lifelong one.”

Adding to this year’s accolades, Lifestyle has also been awarded the prize from Car Dealer magazine for running the best interactive customer website at www.lifestyleeurope.co.uk and this commitment to delivering a hassle free buying and servicing experience was further underlined with the award in May of Business of the Year – again, voted for by the public, in this case, newspaper readers in West Sussex where Lifestyle operates Ford and Mazda showrooms.

Lifestyle’s crop of awards also includes a runner-up environmental prize in the same West Sussex awards for a scheme set up by Peter in which a tree is planted for every new car sold, as he explains:

“The Ford range, in particular, has made huge steps in improving fuel efficiency with one model, the Fiesta ECOnetic delivering over 70 miles per gallon. We committed to the tree planting, as it’s a public way of demonstrating a bit of responsibility. Still, delighted as we are to have picked up seven awards this year, we’re happy to only come second on this one – perhaps there was no chance that a car dealer group could win the green prize!”