Motor dealership reduces working week in move to improve staff wellbeing

Motor dealership, Bowker BMW and MINI showrooms in Preston and Blackburn will close on Sundays from May 14, the business has revealed.

It said the decision to open six days a week instead of seven will provide staff with extra leisure time with families and friends.

Sales director, Chris Eccles, said: “We’ve seen significant changes in customer habits since the COVID lockdown. New working patterns also mean that customers have more flexibility when they visit. Higher footfall during the week bears this out.

“Having spoken to customers and staff, we are happy that we can maintain our excellent retail service over six days instead of seven.

“Our online retail experience via the Bowker website will remain available 24 hours a day and seven days a week as usual.”

The introduction of a six-day opening week at Bowker BMW and MINI centres is a significant move that highlights the importance of work-life balance for retail workers, the company said, adding the decision represents another step towards creating a healthier, more sustainable workplace culture.

Chris said: “Our decision to close on Sundays also prioritises the wellbeing of Bowker BMW and MINI employees. This is important. We want our employees to enjoy an excellent work-life balance. More leisure time will mean happier staff, better performance, and stronger loyalty to our business.”

Bowker predicts that savings in heating and lighting the centres will reduce the family-owned business’s carbon footprint.

Earlier this year, Bowker won the first-ever BMW UK Sustainability Award. Last month, it installed 1,600 new solar panels across dealership roofs. The new panels will allow the car centres to generate a quarter of their electricity from solar energy and reduce their carbon footprint by 130 tonnes.