Honda hits the North

Business news 2023 Trade Directory: get listed, be seen!

TO BE DISTRIBUTED WITH THE May issue of British Dealer News and with more than 650 suppliers listed in a dealer-friendly, easylook-up layout, the BDN 2023 Directory is well underway and, until the end of February 2023, BDN is offering a healthy 10% “early bird” discount.

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Honda hits the north

The inexorable march of the big H continued apace this autumn, with two important new dealerships opening in the north of England. Youles Honda in Manchester and Staffordshire Honda in Stoke are both expansions by some of the most experienced operators in the business.

First up is Youles Honda, located just north of Manchester city centre. It’s a brand-new, purpose-built facility that covers nearly 8000sq.ft and will house the entire range of Honda road bikes. The firm has also invested heavily in service and repair technology, with four main workshop ramps and all the latest Honda diagnostic equipment.

The new Manchester store is owned and run by massively experienced dealer Phillip Youles, who already successfully operates several motorcycle dealerships in the area. The business employs more than 40 people and is very much familyrun, with his wife Louise and their son Joe playing a big part in the development of the new Honda facility. With nearly 40 years in the industry, Phillip will be leading the experienced team at the new location in Fairy Lane, Manchester.

Youles Honda opened just a few months after the launch of another state-of-the-art showroom on the outskirts of Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire Honda. Converted from a former car showroom, which sits on a three-quarter acre site in the centre of Newcastleunder-Lyme, the 14,000sq.ft premises has generous parking, with a mezzanine floor and enough space to show off 200 new and used bikes. There’s a comprehensive clothing and accessories area, plus a purpose-built workshop, and the Staffs Honda demo fleet is now available, with machines including the Africa Twin, CMX1100 and CB1000R.

As with Youles Honda, Staffordshire Honda is owned and run by a highly experienced businessman, Bob Sheldon. Sheldon has been successfully managing motorcycle dealerships for the past 30 years and is looking to cement a strong Honda foothold in the area. Staffordshire Honda is based at Blackfriars Road, Newcastleunder-Lyme.

Speaking to BDN about the two new dealerships, Neil Fletcher, head of Honda UK motorcycles, said, “We’re absolutely delighted to welcome such experienced individuals as Bob and Phillip to the Honda brand. They both have an outstanding record of running successful motorcycle dealerships, and we are sure that Youles Honda and Staffordshire Honda will follow that tradition. Bob and Phillip are well known across the industry, with Phillip also being the chairman of the NMDA. We look forward to working with them at their respective brand-new facilities. Their modern approach will provide first-class service to new and existing customers.”

Phillip Youles added, “We’re delighted to join the Honda network. This brand-new dealership has been laid out to give the best customer perception possible and is all about creating the right retail experience. The timing for the opening couldn’t be better, particularly with the arrival of the new Hornet, Transalp and CL500. Plus, as we all know, Honda is the world’s largest producer of internal combustion engines, so if any company is going to be in the best position to move into the next generation of motorcycles, Honda will surely be at the forefront. To say I’m excited for the future is an understatement”.

And Bob Sheldon is just as positive, “We are really excited at coming on board with the market-leading Honda brand. It’s a cold territory, as there has been no Honda representation in the area for more than 20 years, but we certainly are up for the challenge. A strong model range has enabled us to have a good start, and our already healthy deposit list for the coming season has been further enhanced by the introduction of new models at the recent NEC bike show.”

Youles Honda, Manchester

Staffordshire Honda, Stoke-on-Trent