Founded in 1912 by Vincent Greenhous, the company originally provided a public bus service from Bishop’s Castle in Shropshire to the county town, Shrewsbury. After moving the business to Shrewsbury in 1919, Greenhous began selling Chevrolet cars and trucks, then when General Motors bought Vauxhall in 1926, Greenhous became one of its first distributors.
Over a century later, the business once again represents Chevrolet via the newly announced agreement with Corvette and continues to enjoy a close relationship with Vauxhall. In addition, Greenhous Group now represents Ford, Vauxhall, MG, Nissan, Peugeot, Citroen, Volkswagen Commercials, Fiat Professional, OMODA, JAECOO and Leapmotor.
The Group’s core activities also include the sales, distribution of parts and repair and maintenance of HGV’s for the number one truck manufacturer DAF. Greenhous is a new and used car retailer first and foremost, but they also boast a significant fleet sales and logistics operation, which compliments its more recent diversification into vehicle refurbishment and B2B vehicle remarketing.
Greenhous is a highly accomplished automotive group recognised for its diversified fleet, retail and truck operations with a turnover growth of £375,689,000 in the last financial year. This impressive figure has been driven by the group’s modern and innovative strategies and being able to adapt quickly and efficiently in times of market volatility, especially during the Covid-19 pandemic. Post Covid, the automotive industry saw demand far outstrip supply, resulting in a pull model. This allowed retailers to grow margins in an industry which is notorious for low margins and high costs. The growth in profit over the last two years is a result of retaining these higher margins as supply has returned to normality. In addition, the business has expanded its operational footprint allowing it to grow the volumes supplied into the market by almost 60%, all whilst mitigating increasing operational costs via investment in renewable energy sources and using its national footprint to find logistical efficiencies.
Since its establishment, Greenhous has endeavored to expand and grow whilst staying true to its core family values by investing in younger management led by the mentorship of senior management and supporting long-serving employees. The expansion of the group has been accelerated by the implementation of key strategies that are based around operational growth, service diversification and the development of in-house software services which add value and can be licensed to Greenhous customers.
The company prides itself on an open-minded approach, listening and discussing all potential profit generating ideas which may be brought forward via senior leaders, customers, staff or consultants. There is no opportunity to small, often the smaller ideas act only as the starting point and gradually evolve into wider opportunities.
The in-house software developers’ team has grown to six in recent years and have an unparalleled understanding of the industry, especially around what is important both to the business but also to customers. Over the last ten years, Greenhous adopted the initiative to build all operational software from scratch, this unique difference provides the opportunity to focus on adding value to the customer experience.
Looking to the future, Greenhous is committed to furthering their growth and expansion by continuing to implement their proven strategies that have driven their long-term success. The automotive industry has changed more in the last two years than in the previous two decades and the landscape will change further in the years to come. Investment in new sites and operational infrastructure and alignment with new manufacturers will allow the continuation of operational growth and ultimately, profits.
Greenhous intend to continue to grow their manufacturer representation and increase their geographical footprint to take advantage of this. The automotive market is one that spans the globe, and Greenhous would not be opposed to taking the leap into Europe, if a relevant opportunity presented itself.
Ashley Passant, Managing Director of Car and Van Operations, commented “We are delighted to have been recognised for the fantastic achievement of being placed among the 2024 E2E Top 100 Profit Businesses.”
Passant continued “Greenhous Group’s growth has been exceptional over the last 12 months, but this accolade is a tribute to the hard work and diligence of our staff, partners and the loyalty of our customers. We look forward to harnessing and expanding upon this success and will strive to follow up this achievement by featuring in the 2025 list.”