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| GK
History > A brief history of GK Group and Kennings Ltd.
Click here to read a feature from the Derby
Evening Telegraph on Sir George Kenning (28/09/01) |
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| GK Group are Ford Dealers for North Derbyshire, North
Nottinghamshire, Cumbria and Dumfries & Galloway; Mazda Dealers for North
Derbyshire and North Nottinghamshire; SEAT Dealers for South Derbyshire &
North Leicestershire; Peugeot and Citroen Dealers for Dumfries & Galloway
and Cumbria and KIA Dealers for North Nottinghamshire. Based at Chatsworth
Road, Chesterfield, the business has sold cars and vans as well as used
vehicles and service and repair work for over ninety years. The roots of GK Group go back over a hundred and twenty years to 1878 when Frank Kenning opened a hardware business in Clay Cross selling all sorts of goods, including kerosene, candles and petroleum products which resulted in a natural progression into the motor trade.
Frank's son, Sir George Kenning followed his father as head of the business and was quick to develop opportunities presented by the new motor trade. He gained the Ford franchise for Frank Kenning and Sons in 1915 and this was followed later with extensive distribution rights for Morris Cars. One of Sir George's biggest deals was in 1927 when for £62,925 he bought the entire Morris factory production. In 1938 Kennings Limited became a public company and through subsequent acquisitions gradually gained franchises for Austin, Morris, MG, Standard, Triumph, Rover and Daimler cars.
After the Second World War, Kennings Limited grew rapidly. In 1950 there were fifty depots but by the time of Sir George's death in 1956, there were eighty. He was succeeded by his sons, George as chairman and joint managing director together with his brother David. The brothers dedicated themselves to expanding the Kenning Motor Group, as it was now called, and the business grew to 300 depots with interests in motor vehicles, fuel, vehicle rental and tyres with over 8,000 employees.
The most notable acquisition was of the London Austin distributor, Car Mart that held the Royal Warrant for supply to HM Queen and a BMC import and distribution operation in Zimbabwe, formerly Southern Rhodesia. Kenning Motor Group achieved great horizontal expansion using the synergy of their substantial motor vehicle sales businesses. Kenning Tyre Services was developed to a national network, becoming one of the largest suppliers of car, commercial and earth mover tyres as well as operating three tyre remoulding factories marketing their own label, Fisk and John Bull tyres.
In addition to operating over 100 petrol forecourts, Kenning Motor Group built the Motorway Service sites at Strensham M5 and Anderton M61 and had an extensive fuel distribution Company for Shell-Mex and BP. Vehicle building was another large side to the business with factories producing the famous three wheel W&E Electric milk float in Shrewsbury and Road Tankers in Ossett. Kenning Car and Van Rental, with its highly visible rental vans, was perhaps one of the most well known of Kennings Companies. At the turn of the century, the Company were pioneers in the contract hire business, with contracts for the hire of horses to BP and bicycles to Shell. In 1954 Kenning Car Rental purchased 'Self Motoring Limited' specialists in short term hire. The business rapidly expanded with the acquisition of the Irish firm, Joe Malone Car Hire as well as the development of a business in France. In 1970 they were able to claim a hire fleet of 5000 vehicles. In 1981 George Kenning died unexpectedly and brother David died the following year. They were succeeded by Bart Oxspring and Jerry Foster. However in 1986 the Kenning Motor Group was subject to a take-over by Tozer, Kemsley and Millbourn, as a result the entity was divided up and the majority of assets were disposed of, though some of the franchised motor vehicle sale outlets merged with another TKM company, Wadham Stringer to become Wadham Kenning. TKM subsequently sold the business to Inchcape who have now dropped the Wadham Kenning name in favour of Inchcape. Kenning Car Rental is now owned by Sixt, a German Company.
In 1987 Sir George's grandsons, George, David and Richard - the fourth generation - established their own new independent Company and bought out the Kenning Motor Group's Ford interests in Chesterfield and Sheffield renaming the Company GK Group using their grandfather, George Kenning's initials. In the same year the new company bought the Ford Dealership G. Marshall & Sons with branches in Amersham and Chesham. The Amersham territory was subsequently extended to High Wycombe. In the mid 1990's, Ford undertook a major review of their dealer network and concluded that they would be better served in the future with much larger territories owned by fewer dealers. This would enable Ford to achieve higher and more consistent standards across the country and would make the Dealers more efficient and profitable. Consequently the decision was taken to sell off two of three Ford territories, and to concentrate on developing the opportunity for an enlarged operation based in Chesterfield. This expansion involved the acquisition of additional locations in Staveley (1992), Alfreton (1993), Retford (1998) and Mansfield (1999). The Sheffield business was sold in April 1996 and the three dealerships in Amersham, Chesham and High Wycombe were sold in March 1997. The decision was then taken to de-merge the Leasing and Vauxhall operations in April 1997. Two of the original three Directors, George and David Kenning, remain as the major shareholders and sole Directors of GK Group Limited with responsibility for Sales and After-Sales respectively. |
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