Western Motors Group - Drogheda

FAMILY – TEAM - BRANDS - GROWTH - AWARDS

You will have noticed the recent construction developments up at the M1 Retail Park, where Western Motors has expanded its facilities. Among the additions are a cutting-edge showroom for their newest brands SEAT & CUPRA, a new Volkswagen Commercial Van Centre and an extended service workshop and parts store. These developments not only signify physical expansion, but it is evident the company are making some improvement and enhancements to the current buildings through the incorporation of solar panels, energy efficient lighting and a new smart heating system, all aiding their commitment to supporting environmental sustainability.

Now boasting a five-brand dealership, Western Motors Drogheda stands as one of the largest in the North-East, offering vehicles from the Volkswagen Louth Passenger Car & Commercial Vehicle brands, Skoda, SEAT & CUPRA.

The business, originally founded by Jim McCormack in Galway 60 years ago, is now overseen by his sons, James managing Western Motors in Galway & Simon leading the expansion into the North-East since 2007.

Robbie Matthews, Head of Sales, said ‘The business has evolved and grown so much in the last few years as we navigated an era marked by dramatic shifts in consumer expectations and the emergence of transformative digital technologies and our role as a large multi-brand dealership necessitated a substantial reassessment. The dynamics of our industry are evolving, driven by the influence of smart technology and smart cars, demanding that we adapt our strategies for vehicle sales, servicing, and support. In this landscape, dealers play a pivotal role and now more than ever, we need to keep up with consumer preferences, emerging technologies, and the new normal of our industry. Electric mobility forms a massive part of this, and we also need to ensure we have the infrastructure and training programmes in place.’

Brona Reilly, Marketing Manager adds ‘Western Motors Drogheda now have a strong reputation in our expanded geographical area and representing more brands has positively impacted our ability to support the overall dealership image. The recent addition of new brands enhances our ability to cater to diverse customer preferences and market segments. In addition, our diverse brand portfolio allows us to provide more comprehensive service and support for the range of models, further strengthening our dealership’s competitiveness in the region. Our support for our communities is also important to us and there is a focus on growing this support in line with our business growth.’

With all these advancements, Western Motors Drogheda has garnered recognition at several industry award events, topping the charts in Leinster as SEAI Electric Vehicles Sales Dealer and clinching the biggest industry sales awards, the prestigious SIMI’s Franchise Sales Operation of the Year 2024.

Simon McCormack emphasises the importance of teamwork in achieving so highly at these award events adding ‘As our teams and business grow, we strive to make continued ownership meaningful by nurturing our family values within the team, giving a sense of pride in the company’s contribution to society. We believe that to remain successful we must meet two intertwined challenges: achieving strong business performance and keeping the team committed to, and capable of, carrying on as leaders. Development of our team remains a focus for us, we now have over 120 staff as a group, with almost 80 in the Drogheda branch alone.  A continued training and development plan means we have a team in place that we trust can take the company forward to thrive collectively into the future.’