BUSINESS is on the fast track to success at Tavistock’s newest car salesroom where the customer gets service with a smile and — crucially — gets it indoors in plush surroundings.

Bateman and Lynch, who already have a thriving concern in Liskeard, have expanded their territory to West Devon and have turned an ailing building into a place where customers can view the car of their dreams shielded from the rain Tavistock is famed for.

The firm, who opened their doors in the summer, turned the former Fairway Furniture warehouse in the Retail Park in Plymouth Road into a showroom with a roof and much more.

One of the firm’s partners, former Tavistock College student Sam Bruty, said the building was now equipped with plush offices, comfy sofas, a baby changing room and a host of other features designed for the customer’s comfort.

Sam, who like his partners James Bateman and James Lynch has an extensive background in car sales, said: ‘We received the keys of the building in May and we opened in July. What we’ve achieved with the building, with all the improvements we’ve made, we’re really proud of. We offer a lot of dealership in 10,000 square feet.

‘We’re getting customers driving from two to three hundred miles away and we’ve even had people travelling from the depths of Scotland to buy a car. If we’re going to have people visiting us from all over the UK, then we want them to know they will visit somewhere where they feel comfortable. We moved to Tavistock because I went to Tavistock College and I spent 22 years of my life here, so I’ve got the contacts and a knowledge of the area. I worked at Audi, Plymouth, for 11 years and my business partner James Lynch was there for 17 years and my other partner, James Bateman, is also very experienced in car sales. Bateman and Lynch were formed about three years ago and over the last three years they have been really successful in Liskeard.

I think it’s important for the customer that they can come to a dealership and be comfortable. Open-air dealerships are all very well in the summer, when the weather’s good, but it’s not quite so nice for people when it’s the winter and its dark and raining.’

It has been observed that opening a new business following the ravages of the Covid-19 pandemic and its accompanying restrictions, is perhaps not the best idea in the world.But Sam said they had found the opposite was the case.

He said: ‘Believe it or not, in June last year, the floodgates opened as far as the motor trade was concerned in demand for vehicles. People had taken stock and not spent their money on things like going away on holiday and the demand for used vehicles went up, also due to the problems with the supply of brand new vehicles.’

He added: ‘So far, it’s been going really well at Tavistock. We’re getting good reviews online — five out of five. We’re offering customers a high standard of used vehicle at very competitive prices, which are prepared for them to a high standard in comfortable surroundings and I think that makes a huge difference. We specialise in Audi, BMW and Volkswagen, but we’ve also sold a Mini, Land Rovers and Range Rovers and Fords. What we are aiming to achieve is to provide a service where we can get a product for everybody.’