Working in the tyre industry can be something of a numbers game when it comes to the Britannia Bristol depot.
In the heart of Britain’s 10th biggest city, depot manager Tony Sutton leans on 45 years of fast fit experience, with some motorists travelling up to 45 miles for his expertise!
The 58-year-old, who started working in the fast fit industry at the tender age of 13, moved to Bristol from Cornwall and has been with Britannia for 20 years now.
“I started as a member of the team before the garage was even built,” he said. “It has become my second home and I’ve built a great rapport with the staff and customers.”
As is the case every year at the Fishponds garage, football is always a hot topic of discussion, with a local rivalry splitting allegiances between the those of City and Rovers persuasions.
“It certainly makes things interesting on a Monday morning. We’re mainly Gasheads here though. So if Darrell Clarke’s boys win, it’s a great atmosphere in the workshop!”
Although that local rivalry is at the heart of Bristol, the New Station Way site has had customers travelling far and wide to visit Tony and his team during the two decades that the depot manager has been in charge:
“People travel over from Cardiff to have their cars fixed and their tyres changes. That’s about 45 miles.
“Other motorists come from Swindon, Salisbury, Weston-Super-Mare – all over the surround counties – to visit us. And the best thing is, they keep on returning. That says something about the service that we provide.”
“When the Balloon and the Boat Festivals are here we get really busy. Business is always booming here generally, though. A quality service with a smile is a simple recipe, but it tends to do the trick.”