2019 - What a Year!
Publish date: 19/12/2019
With Christmas just around the corner, it’s timely to reflect on the year that has passed. A year of ongoing economic uncertainty, with last weeks’ news at least stabilising the political field and with a ‘promise’ that Brexit will now be delivered by January 31st. In a year heightened with instability, it is pleasing to have delivered another year of double-digit growth here at FMG.
The year has seen an unrelenting commitment to outstanding customer service, balancing our size and scale with the flexibility and agility to ensure we continue to be an exceptional supplier to the fleet and insurer sectors.
The industry does not stand still, and neither do we. Greater expectations, a dynamic business environment and challenges unique to industry make the job of differentiating service more complex than ever before. There’s been a continued wave of demand for access to flexible, on-demand solutions; focus and investment on evolving our core competencies has been prevalent throughout the year to ensure we meet these demands with market-leading solutions.
New innovations are what shape and secure our future, and this year has seen the introduction of green parts to our repair process, the enhancement of our LCV repair proposition, and the addition of one-day repair solutions through strategically located repair pods.
As a business, securing significant new contracts has been supportive in helping us report doubledigit growth for the fifth consecutive year. These new deals evidence the strong brand we’ve built within the markets in which we operate and are the fruition of the dedication and expertise of our people, combined with our ongoing investment in innovation and excellence.
The retention of contracts is just as valuable to our portfolio, achieving 97% customer retention during the year feels like a genuine ‘seal of approval’ from our partners, and demonstrates the ongoing value we deliver.
The growth of new business and the renewal of existing business has in turn allowed us to grow and strengthen our workforce. Our people are a pillar of our business and welcoming our 500th colleague in June felt somewhat of a significant milestone in our 33-year history.
We have a lot to be proud of and have achieved a great deal this year. Looking ahead, we aim to maintain the momentum on the plans to grow across our channels, while future-proofing through improved digital and data developments. The outlook is bright, and I look forward to leading us into the next decade with a strong pipeline, the prospect of continued growth and providing the best standard of service for our customers.
I’d like to thank our suppliers, partners and customers for making it a year to remember, and of course our colleagues who are the foundations of everything we are able to do as a business, and to wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.