Smart Repairs reports record year

Leading independent cosmetic repairer Smart Repairs has announced a record-breaking year.

The Leeds-based company, which recently bought 18,000 sqft freehold, has seen its turnover grow by 34% to over £7m, with net profit set to exceed seven figures.

Darryl Short, managing director, said: “This has been a game-changing year for us. We had previously concentrated on looking after customers and clients in the north of England, but this year we have expanded our operations to service the whole of the UK.

“One of the keys to our rapid – and sustainable – expansion has been our flourishing new relationship with Insurance Underwriters Fortegra, which has come about because of a number of factors.

“Fortegra were looking for a working relationship with a company that had a proven track record for outstanding levels of service, a company which wanted to grow with their own client base and showed a genuine desire to go above and beyond. This contract is gaining momentum by the day, with repairs of more than 300 cars per week for this one client alone.”

Fortegra is one of the many new clients added to the company portfolio this year, with other new clients including Auto Protect.

Smart Repairs investor Phil Newstead said: “Clearly the global pandemic had its challenges last year, but one of its consequences was a boom in the second-hand car market, which naturally led to a great deal more work for us. We managed to stay open and working most of the time, despite the difficulties of the various lockdowns.

“We are expanding across the UK this year, with a special focus on the M25, Essex, the North West, the North East and Scotland. We are now hiring experienced mobile technicians to help with this expansion drive, which will see full UK coverage by the end of the year.”