MG Customers go on holiday to Devon and instead of bring home sweets or postcards, they bring home new cars.

Most people just bring a stick of rock back from their holidays. But tourists visiting Devon are taking larger souvenirs home – MG cars!

Blights MG in Bideford, north Devon, is developing a thriving business in selling the latest MG cars to visitors to the holiday resort who to find the dealership by chance. 

General Manager, Dave Chumbley, said: “It’s amazing really, we’ve had three sales in the past week alone and all of the customers live miles away from us.”

The latest holidaying customer was Coral Taylor from Thatcham – 170 miles away from Bideford. She bought one of MG’s top-selling MG3 superminis. Coral said: “I was in Bideford for a long weekend and fancied a test drive, which Dave kindly arranged for me on the Saturday afternoon.

“I loved it and spotted a bright yellow used one when we got back to the showroom and that was it – I just fell in love with it and signed up there and then.”

The Hello Yellow MG3 had in fact only just been part-exchanged by a couple who had ordered one of MG’s latest models, the MG GS sports utility vehicle, and that customer was another summer holiday buyer!

Dave Chumbley explained: “While we were servicing their MG3, they took our new MG GS demonstrator for a spin, they loved it so much they ordered one on the spot.

“Last week we took the MG GS to the North Devon Show which was packed with holiday makers and blow me, we took another order from a chap who was on his summer break down here.

“There were other cars on show, but the MG GS was certainly the biggest attraction and it wouldn’t surprise me if we get more orders from tourists. It’s a trend that’s now building our sales very nicely!”  

Meanwhile, MG’s summertime sales boom continues to accelerate with dealers up and down the country reporting record requests for MG3 and GS test drives.

The UK marque is one of the fastest growing brands in Britain and is on target to set a new sales record in 2016, backed by an ever increasing dealer network. While the UK car industry is currently increasing by an average of 2.8 per cent, MG growth is more than five times that level with official figures showing the brand is up more than 15 per cent so far this year.

MG dealership offers dream salesmans job to those that can build upon MG's fast growing future.

Fancy being an MG Sales Manager? It’s one of the new jobs created at the latest MG dealer appointment. Blights MG in Bideford, Devon, has become the fifth new MG dealer to be appointed in 2015 and, even before the official launch date, it has plans to expand.

Tim Blight, a partner in the third-generation family business, said: “During our 82 years of existence we have represented lots of brands from Triumph, Standard, Vauxhall and Ford, but I can honestly say that none have created the excitement and interest that followed news of us winning an MG franchise.

“We’re creating a big, new showroom area and have decided that we need a dedicated MG Sales Manager to do justice to the brand, so if there are people out there with the right 

background, we could have their dream job for them here.”

Blights was founded in 1933 by Tim’s grandfather, Jack Blight, who started a business shoeing horses, then went on to building trailers before establishing one of the oldest car businesses in Devon.  

The business, in Clovelly Road in the heart of Bideford, currently employs 28 people but Tim expects further jobs to be created in the future as the firm grows the MG brand.

Plans are already under way for a programme of summer events in north Devon where MG will be one of the star attractions.

Tim’s brother, Jeff, who runs the five-bay serving department, has strong interests in motorsport and is a keen amateur rally and specials track driver. His nephew, Nicholas, who also works in the business, is a keen sprint racer.

Jeff is also an expert at restoring historic vehicles and has a collection of classics, which includes a 1928 Austin lorry and an Austin 7. 

Blights MG will serve a wide area of north Devon including Barnstaple, Bideford, Ilfracombe, Torrington and Bude. Tim said: “We are really excited about MG and both the MG3 and the new MG6 are getting lots of positive press.

“People are now realising just what a great value-for-money package the new MG range has to offer. I know our customers will be surprised by just how much they get with the modern MGs, which are packed with high levels of equipment that you normally pay extra for with other brands.”