Dealer Profile: MSC
It’s one of the best-known names in British Scootering and as Stan discovered, Midland Scooter Centre is still setting standards.
It’s one of the best-known names in British scootering, and as Stan discovered, Midland Scooter Centre is still setting standards.
Start a discussion about the great names in scootering and it won’t be long before Midland Scooter Centre is mentioned. Hark back to the 80s and it was the shop of choice for both racers and road-going scooterists alike. Although the legendary Dave Webster passed away in 2015, it’s still very much a family-run business with Dave’s widow, Roz and son Andrew firmly at the helm.
Moving on up
Today the business occupies two sites and is one of Piaggio’s prestigious Motoplex dealers, but as Roz explained, this is all a far cry from the company’s early days. “The first premises were in the gatehouse of an old factory on Long Eaton. It was absolutely tiny, but very cheap!” Fortunately, the gamble paid off and they
quicklyi moved to an old terraced house on Station Road. In 1986 it moved to a former Honda showroom, but as Roz explained, it wasn’t long before another move was required.
“Dave and I knew that we had to grow the company,” said Roz. “Initially I managed the accounts, but quickly became involved with all aspects of the business. We were still renting the old Honda dealership, which didn’t make commercial sense, particularly as we had a difference of opinion with the landlord. We thought that a roof should be watertight, but he disagreed!”
In 1990 MSC purchased its own premises in Stapleford on the outskirts of Nottingham, and it’s this showroom which remains MSC’s main hub of activity to this day. “We’ve never really thought about moving anywhere else,” said Roz. “Stapleford is close to the motorway and being in the Midlands we are, by definition, halfway from anywhere!”
Forward vision
Since its creationv MSC has prided itself on building relationships with its customers. Back in the 1980s its open days were legendary and regarded as ‘mini rallies’ in their own right. Although it’s some years since engine tuning was a routine activity, MSC still offers a full range of services to suit the discerning enthusiast. Much of the credit for bringing MSC into the 21st century goes to Andrewv who matches his father’s enthusiasm with keen business acumen. “Although we stock a full range of original Piaggio sparesv we also offer a wide selection of after-market parts,” began Andrew. “We’ve kept our relationship with Malossi, but can also supply parts from Pinasco, Polini and SIP. The workshop team has a wealth of experience in both two-strokes and autos, whilst on the sales front we always have a wide range of both
We’ve kept our relationship with Malossi, but can also supply parts from Pinasco, Polini and SIP.
new and used machinery on offer.”
Although best known as a Vespa specialist, MSC also stock Royal Alloy and the V- Special Lambretta, together with a wide range of e-scooters from Super Soco. The latter may not be at the forefront of enthusiasts’ minds, but the range is proving very popular with Nottingham commuters and serves to illustrate MSC’s determination to keep moving forward.
It’s a long way from its origins of the small gatehouse where MSC began, but its mission remains the same, providing the best range of products for both enthusiasts and commuters alike. Long may the Websters continue to reign.