It was on 2nd June 1981 that Brian Johnson started Grosvenor Leasing, with a plan to offer contract hire and leasing to local businesses in Kettering, Wellingborough, Northampton and the surrounding areas.
40 years on and The Grosvenor Group is the UK’s largest privately-owned contract hire and fleet management specialist, winning the headline award in November 2021 for the county’s Best Big Business in the Northamptonshire Business Excellence awards (NBEA).
The accolade was presented to customer services director, Mary-Dopson-Taylor, surrounded by members of the Grosvenor team, by ex-ITV News front man, Sir Trevor McDonald, and Nick Hewer, best known for being Alan Sugar’s adviser in the Apprentice and presenter of Countdown.
The award reflects four decades of hard work, forward-thinking and continued investment in people, products, systems and quality standards, resulting in Grosvenor now serving a broad portfolio of major companies across the UK, such as Tata Steel, Whistl, Weetabix and The Salvation Army Trading Company, as well as many smaller, local businesses in Northamptonshire that have remained with them for much of the company’s history.
Growing both organically and through acquisition, the Group is now well-known for the brands of Grosvenor Leasing, Interactive Fleet Management, York Ward and Rowlatt, and Croyland Car Megastore.
“When we collected the award, I said that we were a family,” said Mary Dopson-Taylor, “and that is precisely what we are.
“Almost all of the senior management team have been with the business for 20 years or so, and Brian’s daughter Nicola Johnson is Chairwoman after Brian sadly passed away in 2020. If you talk to members of staff, many of them have also grown with the business, and we have a great track record of investing in, and developing, new, young talent from our local schools and colleges.”
Offering the perfect blend of car and light commercial vehicle contract hire, fleet management, personal contract hire and salary sacrifice solutions, the NBEA Big Business of the Year award is just one of many honours presented to Grosvenor over the years.
Recognised in many fleet industry awards too, Grosvenor leads the way with its online fleet management system and Driver App, both of which are developed by its own in-house software team. Its personal contract hire solution is also truly pioneering in helping companies better manage drivers who opt out of the company car scheme and choose cash instead.
Further still, at an important time for the environment, Grosvenor leads the way in helping companies with fleets make the transition to ultra-low emission and electric vehicles – all thanks to its multi-award winning 0Zone solution.
“Our Group strapline is ‘Forward thinking for Fleets’,” continued Mary, “and our 0Zone solution is a great example of that.
“It was back in 2017, and well before most company car drivers were even considering an electric vehicle, that Grosvenor launched 0Zone.
“Designed to help companies make the smooth transition to a zero emission future, 0Zone has won multiple awards since and at the end of 2021 approximately 80% of Grosvenor Leasing’s and Interactive Fleet Management’s new car deliveries were hybrid, plug-in hybrid or fully electric.
“The move to ULEVS and EVs is a complex process of developing and launching new car choice lists and policies, as well as creating a cultural shift.
“Once an ultra-low emission policy has been launched, there is then a time lag before the physical delivery of plug-in hybrids and fully electric vehicles.
“However, because we began the process of advising our customers so long before the rest of our industry, we are now delivering way above the average number of ULEVs and EVs which is good for both our customers and the environment.
“What’s also interesting is that, as a result of our pro-activity around ULEVs and EVs, we are seeing a surge in cash takers moving back into company car schemes.
“There had been a trend of drivers moving away from company cars, and opting for a cash allowance instead, to avoid escalating Benefit in Kind taxation (BIK) costs.
“Yet, with ULEVs and EVs, drivers benefit from vastly reduced BIK which is why they are re-joining their company scheme in plug-in hybrids and fully electric cars.
“For those drivers who decide to remain as cash drivers, we support them with our innovative personal contract hire (PCH) solution.
“By offering a competitive PCH solution, that replicates the benefits of a company car, at the time the cash is received means the driver is far more likely to move out of a company vehicle and into a new, low emission, reliable PCH car.
“That’s good news for employers, because when a cash allowance is provided it is clearly meant to be for the individual to fund a vehicle that enables them to continue to do their job.
“Yet it often ends up being used for other things leaving the employee with a vehicle that’s old, poorly maintained, higher emission or not fit for purpose – and that creates further problems with compliance, health and safety, and company image.
“A competitive PCH offering solves that problem, and to put it in context of how huge the demand is, we doubled the size of our PCH team in 2020 and we are set to double it again in the coming months.”