Proven Online Strategy will be Key to Reshaping Garage’s Reputation

A GSO client in North Wales, has spoken about his acquisition of Cambrian Autoservices. With a track record for buying garage businesses and turning their fortunes around, he’s confident his previous experience will shape its future with an online strategy. 

Rich Maitland-Price’s journey began when he took over Shaw’s Service Station in Kinmel Bay in 2012. At the time, it had a reputation locally for being the ‘wrong type’ of garage.   

He said: “Some customers hadn’t received a failed MOT in four years, so from day one we were inundated with work. That’s not always a good thing though. If customers are used to a garage being too cheap, you’ll be too busy, working long hours and on the wrong jobs.”  

Online Strategy

Maitland-Price quickly implemented a change. He identified the jobs he wanted to work on and, in the process, changed the garage’s customer profile.   

Shaw’s Service Station steadily gained a reputation as a garage that didn’t cut corners and did the job right – meaning customers who understood that this meant paying the right price.  

In 2023 he bought an MOT station in Rhyl, rebranding it under the Shaws name. Again, he made changes, running the two sites with the ethos that “only the best will do”.  

Last year, following his latest and largest acquisition to date of Cambrian Autoservices, also in Rhyl, he knew his tried and tested business (and online) strategy would inevitably lead to the loss of some existing customers again.  

Reputation Management

He continued: “When we took over Cambrian, we knew there’d be work to do to build its reputation to the level we’ve earned at Shaws.   

“Cambrian didn’t have a bad reputation as such. It was more that it was quite old-fashioned, and the building was very rundown. Two elderly guys had managed it for years and all the systems were paper based.   

“I could see its potential though and couldn’t wait to breathe new life into it. With a designated MOT bay, five ramps, and the space for three more, Cambrian was perfect for us.  

 “We hit the ground running and implemented change straight away by doing what has proven to be the right strategy for our other garages.”  

Digital Presence

Maitland-Price instructed us to design and build a dedicated website for the Cambrian Autoservices site.   

The company had already created two other websites for Shaw’s Service Station: one for the Rhyl and Kinmel Bay sites, and one dedicated just to EV services.   

Both websites have been instrumental in shaping Shaw’s reputation, reinforcing its professionalism, and crucially, attracting the right profile of jobs. 

Cambrian’s site was live within four weeks and is already drawing in Maitland-Price’s ideal customers; the ones who want their vehicles fixing properly. 

He continued: “By introducing our unwavering high standards and charging the right price, we will lose some customers. It happened when we took over the first Rhyl site, but that’s okay. The website is replacing them with new customers. It’s all part of the process.  

“The website will play a big part in turning Cambrian’s reputation around. It shines like a beacon online, draws in the right enquiries, and will help us achieve the massive potential that this site has.  

“We love working with GSO because they’re professional, trusted, and very competent. In time, Cambrian’s customers will come to love us for the same reasons.” 

If you’d like to learn more about partnering with us and how we can help you achieve the best for your business, then get in touch and let’s chat!