With a heritage of more than 70 years, family business JCT600 has become one of the best-known names in Yorkshire and beyond.
From its humble beginnings as Brooklands Garage on Sticker Lane, Bradford, founded by current chairman Jack Tordoff in 1946, JCT600 has grown from a single dealership into the largest privately- owned business in Yorkshire.
With 52 dealerships reaching from Yorkshire and the North East to Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire, the group represents 22 of the world’s leading car marques including Aston Martin, Audi, Bentley, Ferrari, Jaguar Land Rover, Maserati, Mercedes-Benz, Mitsubishi, Porsche, Rolls-Royce, Vauxhall and Volkswagen.
In its latest financial year, the company once again put in a strong performance with turnover reaching a new high of almost £1.3bn, up 2% from the previous year. In July, JCT600 was named the top-ranking Yorkshire company in the annual Sunday Times HSBC Top Track 100 league table which recognises Britain’s most successful businesses.
One of the largest employers in the region
Now one of the largest employers in the region with a 2,300-strong team, the company has always placed its people firmly at the heart of the business. Earlier this year, JCT600 joined the UK Automotive 30% Club, an organisation committed to achieving a better gender balance in the sector. The move is part of JCT600’s ongoing commitment to attracting more women into the automotive industry.
Established in 2016 by Gaia Innovation CEO Julia Muir, the Automotive 30% club is made up of CEOs and managing directors of automotive manufacturers, retailers and suppliers who are committed to achieving the goal of having 30% of women in key leadership positions in their organisations by 2030.
The club’s 23 members span automotive manufacturing, retailing and affiliated companies, including brands such as Bentley, the Volkswagen group, Auto Trader and Carwow.
Katie Saunders, HR director of JCT600, said: “In the past, the automotive industry has tended to be seen as being male dominated which can be off-putting for many women. As a company, we’re constantly on the look-out for fresh talent we can bring into the business and we’re well aware of the huge number of women who have the personality and potential to succeed with us.
“Our initiative is already having a positive impact with many more female applicants coming forward for all sort of roles from apprentice technicians to sales trainees and management positions.
“Clearly, ensuring that we are more focused on flexibility around working hours and shifts is also helping us improve our gender balance and create a more flexible workforce overall. We try really hard to encourage women to return from maternity leave in all roles by adopting a positive starting point when looking at flexible working requests.
“Ensuring that we offer a work place that nurtures women and helps them develop and progress in an environment where they feel appreciated, has been a key part of our work and appears to be paying off. We are now well above the average for the automotive industry with women making up 25% of the team, up from 16% five years ago. We’re also fortunate to have some amazing female senior role models in traditionally male roles who act as mentors and this really helps support and inspire other women in the team.”
JCT600’s gender balance initiative builds on its work with young people following the introduction of its own apprenticeship scheme six years ago. Every year, the company welcomes around 40 apprentices to join its carefully tailored training scheme for young people and the business has successfully attracted and retained around 100 apprentices in a variety of roles.
The company also focuses on developing its trainees – for example, sales trainees are a key entry point for women as there is no requirement for experience of having sold cars before. JCT600’s sales training puts customer service at its core, providing full two-week training programmes. This has increased the number of sales executives to more closely reflect the company’s female customer base. Over the last five years, the number of female sales trainees coming in via this route has increased by 50% with women tending to do very well in this role.
“When young people and women are looking for job opportunities, the motor industry may not necessarily be a sector which they immediately think of,” Katie said.
“However, it has undergone a huge transformation in recent years with companies like JCT600 investing in high tech showrooms and specially tailored training programmes to attract and develop the brightest talent. Motor retail also offers a huge choice of roles, many of which potential recruits may not be aware of, for example, the parts adviser is proving to be a great choice for those new to the sector.
What we’re looking for is potential
“Most of all, what we’re looking for is potential. We want enthusiastic people, whether male or female, with a genuine passion to learn and embrace our culture which is all about putting the customer at the core of everything we do. In return, we’ll invest in your training and give you support along the way, enabling you to develop your career with JCT600 as well as providing all of the benefits you would expect from one of the Sunday Times’ ‘best companies to work for’.”
Eighteen-year-old Jessica Suffield who lives in Bradford is a second-year apprentice technician at Porsche Leeds. She said: “I’ve really enjoyed my two years with Porsche so far and I’m planning to carry on and develop my skills further. The apprenticeship is very well-structured – there’s lots of guidance and support at work and the weeks we spend at college are really good.”
Over the last year, JCT600 has continued its commitment to improving the customer experience by upgrading its showrooms, investing a total of £9m including major refurbishments at Porsche Sheffield and Porsche Newcastle as well as creating a new call centre in Chesterfield. In addition, the group acquired the two Jaguar and Land Rover dealerships in Doncaster in July 2018, and last autumn announced that it would be representing Rolls-Royce Motor Cars in Leeds. The group has recently completed work on its new Mitsubishi Motors dealership on Sticker Lane in Bradford.
John Tordoff, chief executive of JCT600, commented: “As a long-established Yorkshire-based business with a reputation for leading the way in the automotive sector, we are proving able to continue to outperform the market by keeping our colleagues and our customers at the heart of everything we do. We know that it is only be attracting the very best people who share our values that we will be able to provide the outstanding customer care for which we are renowned. It’s fantastic news that our initiatives to attract more women and young people into the industry are proving so popular.
“Bradford has been our home for the last 70-plus years and we are committed to continuing to invest in our dealerships and also in our team here. There’s no doubt that the business wouldn’t be where it is today without the grit and determination of our colleagues and the loyalty of our customers – we’re proud to be part of a city which is known for its resilience.”
