Mr Brian Pike purchased the old Lakeside Filling Station and transport cafe site and moved his family down from Ilminster to live at the rear of the property. This was to be the family home for the next five years as he devotes all his time and money into his business of selling cars and caravans. During the ensuing months a small workshop was built and Brian Pike had established a reputation for good service among his customers.
1976
Our History
- 1976
- 1979
The Sovereign Car, Caravan & Caravanette Centre, specialising in Volkswagen vehicles was born but towards the end of 1979 the business was re-christened West Country Motorhomes and registered as a limited company with Brian Pike, Stephen Pike and Mike Hammer as directors. They brought in Volkswagen vans to recondition and have converted by Autohomes, Devon & Holdsworth.
1984
- 1984
West Country Motorhomes sold their very first new motorhome in 1984 a Ford Canterbury and were offered Holdsworth, Autohomes & Elddis franchises. Second hand sales were also doing well and the first steps into motorhome hire were being taken.
- 1985
The company was going from strength to strength and as the motorhome industry grew, so did West Country Motorhomes. They were Volkswagen approved and sales increased. Franchises for Auto-Trail, Auto-Sleepers & Swift followed, bringing the total to six.
- 1986
Mr Pike's second son Paul entered the business, closely followed by Peter Shaw, who was to become the future sales manager. West Country Motorhomes attended their first Earls Court Caravan & Outdoor Leisure Show and other major events around the country.
1989
- 1989
Stephen Pike took the reigns of the company although Brian Pike was still involved. With the country in recession and British industry suffering West Country Motorhomes boldly committed themselves to double the size of the premises.
- 1992
By 1992 the motorhome industry had changed dramatically customers were demanding more comfort and luxury. Stephen and his team decided that the secret of growth and success was to offer more choice, so the number of motorhomes on display grew again
1997
- 1997
Even though the display area has been increased at least three times thus far, expansion was still at the forefront of business strategy. A 2.5 acre site just off junction 22 of the M5 went on the market and was immediately snapped up by West Country Motorhomes.
- 1998
The small workshop had increasingly proved inadequate and further development was necessary. A large purpose built workshop was put into service to cope with the expanding maintenance and warranty requirements. West Country Motorhomes were appointed as the dealers of the prestigious German built motorhomes La Strada.
- 2001
Having enjoyed several years of steady growth in sales the company had once more outgrown the premises at Lower Weare. The decision was taken to separate the sales from the rest of the company's activities. Work began on the land purchased in 1997 at Brent Knoll near Burnham-on-Sea, to build a new sales centre.
2002
- 2002
In January 2002 the Sales Centre was officially opened at a cost of £1million. Everyone from customers and manufacturers to the motorhome press agreed that West Country Motorhomes had raised the standard of presentation and the image of motorhome dealerships to a new level.
- 2003
The new sales centre is a resounding success reporting a record year for sales. West Country Motorhomes opened the Swindon Motorhome Centre joining forces with the long established Folding Caravan Centre at their premises at Blunsdon, Swindon. The Swindon venture allowed us to take on the Auto-Trail range.
- 2004
With increased sales and servicing work, it was decided to invest further in Lower Weare. A dedicated new workshop was built to cope with the workload and became the Service Centre. Back at Brent Knoll West Country launched the Sunseeker a special version of the popular Elddis Autoquest. The Swindon branch was doing well too and outgrew the premises shared with the Folding Caravan Centre. More display area was needed and they moved to a better site at Blunsdon Abbey changing the trading name back to the established West Country Motorhomes.
2005
- 2005
The Swindon Sales Centre had a change of management with Paul Pike taking over along with Ryan Butcher. They were determined to expand and develop the Swindon operation and increase the sales and profile there. The Pioneer franchise was added to compliment the Autocruise range.
- 2008
After an increase in sales the Swindon Sales Centre moved again, this time to Turnpike Road where a brand new showroom was built. Steve Cant joined the company to work alongside Ryan.
2011
- 2011
Established Caravan manufacturer Bailey entered the Motorhome market and West Country Motorhomes were delighted to become main agents. Stephen Pike's son Max joined the sales team adding a third generation to the company, and long serving salesman Steve Taylor was appointed Sales manager.
- 2014
Due to increased demand West Country Motorhomes doubled the display area at the Brent Knoll Sales Centre. West Country was awarded the prestigious Practical Motorhome Owner Satisfaction Award for Best Supplying Dealer for New Motorhomes and the Gold Award for Used.
2016
- 2016
2016 saw the opening of our new dedicated After Sales Centre at our Sales site at Brent Knoll in Somerset. This will enable us to give even better customer care and after sales service from the comfort of our prestige showroom.
- 2018
With business good and everything going well it was time to look to the future and re-invest in our staff. Fresh training was implemented across all departments to keep us compliant, efficient and able to deliver the best possible experience for our customers. In preparation for their future roles, Max Pike and Steve Taylor embarked on a 12 month diploma course with the Institute of Leadership and Management. With a well trained, efficient team we looked forward to continuing success.
2019
2019Swift awarded us Motorhome Dealer of the Year as we celebrate 40 years as one of the UK's leading motorhome dealers.
A big thank you to the 1000's of customers who have made it possible, and a warm invitation to all of you who would like to be part of our next 40 years as The UK's Premier Dealer!
2020
- 2020
In January the Brent Knoll showroom celebrated it's 20th anniversary, seeing many changes over the years with new faces joining the team.
We purchased 12 acres of land adjoining the showroom and started to plan the expansion with a view to build new workshops. An exciting time for us all looking to the future. - 2022
Max Pike and Steve Taylor became Directors of the company alongside Peter Shaw and Stephen Pike.
The planning permission was approved so work commenced on the building of the workshops. This was going to massively increase the capacity to offer after care, repairs and servicing in one location, making it so much easier for our customers and staff. - 2023
Director Perer Shaw retired after 36 years of service and dedication. We wish Peter a very happy retirement and now we get to hear all about his adventures and future plans.
All the work was completed on our new workshops giving us one workshop with 4 bays and another one with 8 bays for the team of mechanic's, PDI and check off. We are delighted with the workshops and the significant improvement they have made.