JCT600, one of Yorkshire’s largest family-owned businesses, is once again celebrating achieving national recognition for its success in putting its people first, scooping the People & Culture accolade at this year’s Autotrader Retailer Awards, based on its success in creating a dynamic, open and diverse workplace.
With over 50 dealerships across Yorkshire and the North East and in Derbyshire and Lincolnshire, and a 2,200-strong team, the Bradford-based firm was recognised for its ‘exceptional commitment to retailing excellence’ at this year’s awards.
The People and Culture Award is designed to celebrate the very best retailers that recognise the value of their colleagues and have created an inclusive culture. Judged by a panel of industry experts, JCT600 was recognised for its outstanding commitment to overcoming the industry-wide challenge of attracting and retaining talent.
Tracey Newton, group people director at JCT600, said: "We're absolutely thrilled to win the People and Culture Award. At JCT600, our people are at the heart of everything we do, and this recognition reflects the passion, teamwork and care that runs through every part of our business. We're so proud of our colleagues and of the culture we continue to build within the business together."
JCT600 also received a second prestigious accolade with one of its team, brand director Michelle Caveney, winning Autotrader’s Woman of the Year Award, which recognises exceptional women in automotive retail. The award was introduced last year to support the Automotive 30% Club’s ‘Moonshot’ initiative and celebrates inspiring and high performing women working within an operational management role. Julia Muir, founder of the Automotive 30% Club, described Michelle as ‘a true trailblazer’.
Michelle said: "I'm passionate about helping others grow, and proud to work in a business that truly values inclusivity and opportunity. Having previously received recognition from the Automotive 30% Club, this award means so much, and it's a reflection of the brilliant team around me."
In addition, JCT600 Volkswagen Van Centre Sheffield was proud to be a finalist in the Customer Experience category in recognition of the team's outstanding customer service and dedication to excellence.
As the UK’s largest automotive platform, Autotrader saw its annual awards attract hundreds of entries from its 14,000 retailer partners nationwide, with a shortlist of 69 finalists chosen across the nine different award categories, of which JCT600 was one of just 29 winners to be crowned.
An independent panel of expert judges chose JCT600 as a winner based on a combination of in-depth analysis of millions of data points and the results from the UK’s largest consumer mystery shopping programme among auto retailers. The winners are among the top 1% of Autotrader’s retailer partners and are widely considered the ‘best of the best’ in the industry.
Commenting on their double celebration, John Tordoff, executive chairman of JCT600, said: “Over our long heritage of almost 80 years, we have been dedicated to putting customers first by offering excellent service and we believe that the only way to achieve this is by ensuring that we attract and develop the very best talent in the industry. These accolades are further testament to our success in achieving this – congratulations once again to our exceptional colleagues.”
