Fix Auto Braintree expansion continues apace

Fix Auto Braintree owner Danny Ashwell is hoping to open his second site at the end of April.

The new 8,000 sqft site will replace Fix Auto Chelmsford, with plans to open a further two sites Southend-on-Sea and Clacton before the end of 2024.

He said: “Everything is going according to plan. I couldn’t have wished for a better start to Fix Auto Braintree which we opened in December. The staff have bedded in incredibly well, the layout is perfect for our workflow and we’re operating, in terms of repair capacity, at around 35% above our own target.

“Our focus now is on completing our replacement centre in Chelmsford which is now only a matter of weeks away from being opened. Our existing site is being redeveloped so we need to relocate as soon as possible. It really is exciting for the business. Our current site has served us so well but, if truth be told, its layout is disjointed and can hamper our repair process. The new building has again been purposely designed and is energy and environmentally friendly with two drive-through spraybooths, one for LCVs, which will enable us to really increase our repair capacity.”

He continued: “If all goes to plan, by the end of April it will be a case of two new sites complete, two to go and, hopefully by the summer, those additional venues could be secured and our goal of becoming a four-site operation in Essex by the end of 2024 will be another major step towards becoming a reality.”

Ian Pugh, Fix Auto UK’s managing director, said: “I am forever in awe of any repairer ambitious repairer but to have one like Danny within the Fix Auto UK network is truly inspiring. He announced his intentions to develop four new sites within three years which is a bold statement by anyone’s standards and he’s making it happen and yet, at the same time, still delivering a fine service.”