Staffordshire car dealer secures £500K fleet order

A STAFFORDSHIRE car dealership has been boosted after securing a major fleet deal with a Midlands media business.

Knights BMW, which has outlets in Stafford and Stoke-on-Trent, has agreed to supply vehicles to Orion Media in a deal worth more than half a million pounds.

The deal will see the media company, which operates Midlands radio stations BRMB, Wyvern, Mercia, Beacon and Heart 106FM, take delivery of 25 BMW 1 Series and two Minis.

The cars will be used by the media company’s sales team, branded Heart Angels.

Bob Norman, Orion’s regional managing director, said the choice of the BMW 1 Series had been a straightforward one.

“We were looking for a car which is eco-friendly and cost effective, while retaining a high brand profile which reflected the Orion Media values,” he said.

He said the status of the cars also acted as an incentive in motivating the sales force.

The cars were purchased centrally using the BMW rebate scheme but Orion could choose the dealership they wanted to work with to deliver the vehicles.

“Knights BMW was an obvious choice for us as they advertise with Orion Media and we want to work in partnership with our clients,” added Mr Norman.

“We worked closely with Knights BMW to agree the car specifications and delivery dates to ensure that we got the right cars at the right time and they have delivered every time.”

Mark Clews, Knights BMW local business development manager, said the deal with Orion reflected the calibre of business being carried out by the dealer’s corporate division.

“It’s a real feather in our hat that Orion chose to work with us, especially as they had the choice of all the BMW dealerships in the UK,” he said.