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TEN YEARS ON THE GROWTH ROAD
From a backstreet garage in Colne to a business renting up to 300 vehicles across Lancashire and turning over almost £3m, CVS Vehicle Group’s growth journey has been remarkable – and it is still gathering pace.
But when you consider where the business was six years ago, it seems there really must be something in the fuel at the now Burnley based firm.
The business’ origins can be traced back around 30 years to when Keith Schofield opened Craven Garage in Norfolk Street, Colne. That small scale garage and rental business was bought by Howard Whewell in 2016, with current business owner Wayne Ousby joining four years later.
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Speaking from the recently refurbished and extended premises in Gannow Lane, on a two-acre site close to the M65, Wayne speaks proudly about the road the business has taken over the past six years. All parts of the business now operate from the site.
He says: “Howard and his friend Ray bought the business in 2016 as a going concern and I came on board four years later.
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“My background has always been in commercial vehicles, whether that’s with Mercedes-Benz working directly for the brand, or in vehicle rental, lease and commercial vehicle environments.
“Craven Vehicle Services was a small concern at the time, turning over around £275,000. I was moving away from a big corporate environment and wondering whether it was really the right time.
“Just as I was about to join the business we hit Covid and I had to wonder if I was doing the right thing. But I knew from my time in rental and vehicle hire that where there’s uncertainty in the economic climate, vehicle rental tends to do well.”
It was time to flip the focus of the business and start thinking bigger.
Wayne says: “I brought a lot of focus around longer-term hire, recurring revenue and professionalising the brand.
“I think it had a stigma as a bit of a backstreet garage. I really wanted to change that, so we invested heavily in new
vehicles, the right specification of vehicles and the branding.
“We elevated the brand, improved enquiry management, improved our Google presence and started to gain traction. It grew from there through good feedback, good reviews and reputation.”
That brand had seen a number of different names before becoming CVS Vehicle Group. This wasn’t just about simplifying the business. It pointed to Wayne’s ambitions to grow the business across the wider Lancashire footprint.
“The registered business is Craven Vehicle Services Limited,” says Wayne. “We had Colne Van Hire, Burnley Van Hire and CVS Garage. Those brands worked really well for consumers because they’re local, familiar and trusted.
“Where it became restrictive was in developing more B2B long-term hire relationships outside Burnley.
“When trying to develop long term hire business in Preston, Burnley Van Hire was a bit of a blocker.
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