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Cowes' Esplanade Car Dealership Celebrates 75th Anniversary

Esplanade, Airfield Way, Cowes in 1970s compared to now

Esplanade car dealership in Cowes is celebrating its 75th anniversary - on the day that restrictions are eased.

Around 40 Islanders are employed by the firm and at least twenty-five per cent of the team have clocked up 15 years or more of service.

Originally founded in 1946 by Peter Dorley-Brown, with trading initially starting in George Street, Ryde. The shop then became the top car rental provider on the Island.

In the 1950s, Esplanade acquired land at Medina Avenue, Newport, and built a workshop and showroom.

Acquired by the Jacksons Group in 2017, Esplanade joined forces with branches in the Channel Islands and Isle of Man. From here it quickly outgrew its Newport premises and with heavy investment from the Jacksons Group, built brand-new state-of-art premises in Cowes.

Moving in April 2018 Esplanade saw a vast expansion in its portfolio of manufacturers and is now home to the largest line up of marques at a single site on the Isle of Wight: Volkswagen, Mercedes- Benz, Smart, Volvo, Ssangyong, Vauxhall and Skoda.

It has also been calculated that over 75 years Esplanade has serviced around 225,000 vehicles and sold approximately 45,000 cars!

Group Sales Director David Weston said:

“The whole team at Esplanade are extremely proud to have reached this incredible milestone in the businesses history. Esplanade’s success can be attributed to several key factors: expert staff, loyal local customers and premium range of vehicles.”

When the showroom doors reopen on April 12, Islanders will be able to test drive the all-new 100% electric vehicles, Volvo XC40 recharge, Mercedes-Benz EQC, EQA and the Volkswagen ID.4 and ID.3.

Brendan Cole, Sales Manager said:

“Esplanade may be 75 years old, but we always move with the times. We are looking forward to once again welcoming our customers into our showroom. Whilst this last year has been the most challenging in our times, we have worked hard to make sure we have plenty of great stock ready for immediate delivery and are confident that we have a vehicle option suitable for everyone.”

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