Says Pitts Patel, Dealer Principal at Renault Springs for close to two years now: “Our team knows what is expected of them and they all do their job properly. Receiving an award like this means that across the spectrum in all the departments, all our employees performed well. Our After Sales Manager, Jerris Hamann, also won the first prize in his division, a great achievement.

“To tick of all the boxes necessary to win, shows it was a team effort in which all played their part and did what was required of them. That said, without everyone buying into this way of conducting business, we would not have been able to scoop up this prestigious award as it takes all aspects of the business into account,” Pitts tells Dealerfloor.

With more than 20 years’ experience in the motor trade, he says business conditions are still challenging with stock shortages continuing to place a damper on it. “We are not sure when we will be able to see this problem in the rear-view mirror as it also has a negative impact on our pre-owned side.

“We are, however, fortunate that we have a number of dealerships in our group and can offer customers a bigger choice, drawing from our other branches when it comes to used vehicles,” he says.

The Renault dealership is part of the Springs Car Wholesaler Group with Nissan, Hyundai, Kia and other dealerships in Springs and Boksburg on the East Rand. The business started with the Nissan dealership and expanded with the addition of more dealerships and a used car dealership, We Buy Exclusive Cars, that also functions online at webuyexclusivecars.

Asked about the change in customers’ buying patterns during last two to three years, Pitts says there have definitely been a shift. “It does not only revolve around the availability of new stock, but new models offering good value for money and fuel economy are high on customers’ priority lists. In this regard, we have some exceptional model ranges like the Kiger and Triber that are immensely popular,” Pitts concluded.