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Company History
 
 
 


  COMPANY HISTORY


Platinum Renault, with branches in Bath, Chippenham and Trowbridge, is a part of the Trowbridge based Renrod Ltd, a subsidiary of Renrod Holdings Ltd.

Founded in Frome, the company has steadily expanded since its inception 35 years ago, establishing itself as one of the leading players in the southwest with a number of dealerships situated in the Bath, Somerset and Wiltshire areas.

Initially, the group traded with a single Renault dealership in Frome, then known as Westward Renault. In 1980, the company purchased the former Bear Garage on Wells Road in Bath. It was from this site that Westward Renault moved into Bath, as a sister site to Westward Renault in Frome.


In 1983, a change in Renault's representation plans resulted in Westward Renault in Frome and Bath being merged onto the same site in Bath.

The success of Westward Renault on Wells Road resulted in the site being inadequate for the needs of the business and a new site was sought in Bath. This allowed the development of a much larger purpose built dealership. It opened on the Lower Bristol Road in 1987.

Westward Bath
Westward Bath

Saxon Forecourt
Saxon Forecourt

 

The new Westward premises were, and still are, state-of-the-art facilities which set the standard for the motor trade in Bath and surrounding areas. The new Westward Renault was an instant success for both customers and the company and paved the way for the acquisition of Westward's satellite dealership, Saxon Garage in Bradford-on-Avon in 1993.

As Westward Renault and Saxon Garage continued to enjoy success, a Renault sponsored analysis of the surrounding area was completed, resulting in the company emerging as the preferred candidate for the takeover of the neighbouring Renault dealership Bucklands Garage in Chippenham which was acquired in 1999, completing a trio of Renault sites. Buckland's Garage was renamed as Westward and now trades as Platinum Renault.

Westward Logo

The millennium year saw a new set of challenges for the group as the company consolidated its position after the expansion programme of mid-late 1990’s by embracing new ideas such as information technology and the internet whilst retaining the original values that made the company successful in the first place.

2004 saw a time of great change and challenge for the group with the culmination of the "Meridian Project" - a state of the art motor park development in Trowbridge to house Renault and three other franchises. The development re-housed three existing businesses (including Saxon Garage in Bradford on Avon) and added a new dealership to the group.

The year of 2004 also saw a rationalization in terms of the trading names operated by Renrod Ltd. As of October 1st those branches not already carrying the name were united under the single trading title of Platinum.

The spring of 2009 saw the company merge its Platinum Renault operation in Chippenham with the existing Causeway Saab business, which became Platinum Saab in the process, with the dealership offering Renault Approved Repairs using genuine parts and accessories.

The aim of Platinum Renault is to provide a high quality of service to all customers by employing highly trained and motivated staff, who know, understand the relate to the needs of the customer, whether purchasing a new car, a fleet of vans or require an indicator bulb replacing.

At Platinum, plans are constantly in place to ensure that this high quality and efficient service provided to customers are maintained and improved, by embracing new ideas whilst retaining the original values that made the company successful in the first place.

The employment of specialists in the fields of sales, information technology, finance, used car purchasing, human resources, aftersales and bodyshop combined with major investments in training, technologies and facilities such as the new state of the art Platinum Trowbridge dealership and ongoing facility improvements in Bath and Chippenham ensure that Platinum Renault are well placed to serve customers in an environment of continuous improvement in the future.