Henrys Ssangyong moved from lock-ups to great value 4x4s

CUSTOMERS in Argyll and Bute have provided many inquiries for Glasgow family fi rm Henrys, which opened it ‘garage doors’ in the 1920s. The humble beginnings for the business are a far cry from its current three-site operation retailing SsangYong, Honda and Skoda. Dealer principal Graham Henry, 47, whose role is to oversee the day to day operation of the SsangYong site, told

The Oban Times: ‘It all started way back in Glasgow’s West End in 1927 with the company letting out lock-up garages before moving into vehicle servicing and latterly sales.’ Along the road to selling SsangYong, arguably the 21st century’s best value vehicles, partnerships had been formed with, among other manufacturers in the past, Austin Morris and BMW. Henrys took on the Glasgow Honda franchise in 1980, opening a purpose-built site on Titwood Road, Glasgow, and in 1998 added Skoda at Maxwell Road. This moved a decade later in 2008 to Kyle Street, becoming the top UK Skoda dealership and was further enhanced two years ago with a major refurbishment. Graham added: ‘It has always been a family concern. Mum and dad are still very much involved today. ‘My dad, Alex, 76, still comes in everyday although we do try to tell him that he should maybe go home a bit earlier. ‘My brother, Bruce, heads up the three sites and my sister, Grace, is involved in the accounts and HR departments.’ In addition to being a family business, many employees have been with the fi rm for many years. Graham said: ‘Joe, who works in sales at SsangYong, started off valeting cars and has been with us 31 years and his colleague, Jamie Hay, has been with Henrys for 14 years. ‘Overall the fi rm employs more than 100 people.’ Graham added: ‘People like to buy where they feel comfortable and the fact that SsangYong’s sales are continuing to grow proves that our close-knit team’s approach to customer satisfaction must be working.’ Graham continued: ‘We hope to attract many new customers from Argyll and Bute as we feel that the SsangYong range, with its excellent build quality, high specification and five years limitless mileage warranty is particularly suited to the area.’