Historic win for Jayco dealer

Jayco Newcastle has become the first RV dealer to win the NSW Motor Traders Association’s (MTA) New Vehicle Dealer of The Year award.

The prestigious award – the first for a non-car dealer – was presented recently at an awards ceremony at Sydney’s Hilton Hotel attended by more than 300 motoring businesses and special guests.

Jayco Newcastle was nominated earlier this year as a finalist for the annual awards, which are open to more than 4000 motor trade businesses in NSW and ACT. The John McGrath Auto Group was runner-up in the Dealer of the Year category.

“This is a remarkable achievement for the dealership as it is the first time a non-car dealer has won the prestigious motor industry award,” said Jayco Newcastle general manager Damian Charleson.

Located around 170km north of Sydney, Jayco Newcastle is the biggest Jayco dealer in the Newcastle/Hunter Valley region. It's been in business for more than three decades but moved to a brand new sales centre at Heatherbrae in early 2014, after its previous site in Hexham was destroyed by fire.

Described by Jayco Australia chairman Gerry Ryan as “world class”, the new dealership displays around 100 new and used caravans and has a spare parts and accessories department as well as repair and service centre.

As well as running an annual, three day caravan and camping expo for the past two years, Jayco Newcastle are actively involved in the local community and have provided sponsorship, fundraising and donations to those in need.

“Customer service is a key component of our business. We focus on creating a culture to meet the needs of our customers at sales and service levels,” Charleson said.

The MTA award comes on top of other industry gongs the dealership have received this year including the Hunter Business Awards Customer Service Excellence award and the Caravan and Camping Industry Association of NSW Awards of Excellence - Best NSW Regional Dealer award.