Western Daily Press (Saturday)
Shot soldier’s spirit of survival lives on at firm
FEW years in the past century have been as difficult for business as the past 12 months. But one West firm, whose founder survived being shot by a German sniper, has stood the test of time and certainly knows about surviving all manner of challenges.
In the spring of 1917, Victor Joseph Collett returned from France with the rifle bullet lodged firmly in his right hand.
Just a few years later he obtained a piece of land in Lansdowne in Gloucestershire, erected a small shed and put his name over the door.
Fast forward a century and specialist dealership VJ Collett Ltd is still going strong, offering a wide range of used cars.
And even better, it remains a family business and appears set to enjoy another 100 years of success.
Victor’s grandson and company director James Collett explained: “I think a family business based in the same village with the same family after 100 years is a real achievement and worth celebrating.
“Our firm has survived world wars, recessions, 22 prime ministers, a coronation, and a global pandemic, so we’re more than ready to face another century.
“I’m really proud to be heading up the firm after all these years and feel very grateful for my talented grandfather, who came back from the Great War and decided to start his own business.”
The war ended for 17-year-old Victor Joseph Collett on the battlefield at Arras.
Back home in the pretty village of Bourton-on-the-Water, the budding mechanic soon ditched the family trade of carpentry to pursue his growing interest in new-fangled motorcars and motorcycles.
On June 1, 1921, he bought that bit of Lansdowne land and by 1930 the young entrepreneur held the agencies for Excelsior and Ariel motorcycles and for Hercules cycles – names now forgotten but much-admired at the time.
Victor even sold petrol – not from a pump but from returnable two-gallon cans with brass screw tops. By the mid-1930s things had moved on. Victor constructed a proper petrol station and workshop and now held the Rootes Group agency, selling Hillman, Humber, Sunbeam Talbot and Commer vans and lorries.
He braced himself to face the hardships of World War II not as a soldier but as a business owner.
Nevertheless, the firm continued to thrive and benefited from a lovely new showroom built during wartime and much-needed help from Victor’s eldest son, Donald.
The industrious father-and-son team ran the firm together until the unexpected and untimely death of Victor in 1959.
Despite the tough times, Donald recruited younger brother Michael and vowed to continue the family business.
The Chrysler franchise replaced Rootes Group with the company now selling Alpines and Avengers together with French Simca.
In 1981, the chance to bag the Ford franchise came along – an opportunity far too good to miss.
At this time Donald left the business and VJ Collett Ltd became a successful partnership for 10 years.
The family link was continued when Michael’s son James joined the firm after completing a managerial business course at the prestigious RTITB Academy in Telford.
By now, the firm had outgrown its original High Street site so a purpose-built facility was created on the Bourton Industrial Park in 1990.
VJ Collett eventually ceased its long partnership with Ford in 2018, allowing the freedom to continue independently – just like that plucky teenage boy who came back from the Great War and decided to do his own thing.
Today the company remains under the control of Michael and his son James. Although Michael is officially retired, he can still often be found in the showroom or on the forecourt.
They and their team of nine dedicated staff – two of whom can claim over 25 years of continuous employment with the firm – continue to run this popular family-focused local business.