Fix Auto Lichfield was crowned Fix Auto UK’s Bodyshop of the Year during the network’s EVOLVE-themed 2025 National Conference held at The Vox at the NEC Birmingham on Thursday (8 May).
Presented in front of a record 420-strong audience of sponsors, delegates, insurer guests and suppliers, the Staffordshire-based business celebrated in style as owner Andy Johnson stepped on stage to receive the network’s blue riband prize from operations director Mark Hutchins. It was the second time the repairer was celebrated for what has been a very successful 12 months after picking up the Region 3 Award earlier in the evening.
Fix Auto UK’s 20th anniversary conference
In total, 27 awards were presented during the course of the evening, which was hosted by TV’s Mr Wheeler Dealer Mike Brewer.
For the first time, Fix Auto Durham was named as the Allianz Insurance Bodyshop of the Year while Fix Auto Deepcut won the Admiral Bodyshop of the Year award. Meanwhile Fix Auto Mitcham walked away with the second prize from the insurer when they collected the inaugural Admiral Customer Journey Award.
Fix Auto Stevenage earned a brace of prizes, first winning the Covéa Customer Service Award and then named as the network’s first recipient of the Zenith Bodyshop of the Year. Fix Auto Loughborough was presented with the second new award of the evening, scooping the Direct Line Bodyshop of the Year. The final insurance-led award was won by Fix Auto Bradford South which received the RSA Bodyshop of the Year trophy. For the second successive year, Fix Auto Weston-super-Mare again set the standard in dealing with customers by winning the Fix Auto UK Customer Service Award.
First time Northern Ireland winner
It was the first time that a repairer from Northern Ireland has been recognised by the network as Fix Auto Ballymoney, which joined in November 2023, won the Region 1 Award. The winners from Ballymoney were followed on stage by fellow regional winners Fix Auto Bradford South (Region 2), Fix Auto Lichfield (Region 3), Fix Auto West Kensington (Region 4) and Fix Auto Weston-Super-Mare (Region 5). Meanwhile, another first for the event being that Region 2, led by regional business manager Carl Norton, was named Region of the Year.
One of the winners of last year’s Bodyshop Magazine 30 Under 30 competition, Rickesh Chohan, the Fix Auto UK commercial analyst, was named as Employee of the Year, while for the first time ever the Nigel Luffman Award Apprentice of the Year prize was shared between Teagan Whiteman of Fix Auto Newport, Jake Harris (Fix Auto Neath) and Justin Reid (Fix Auto Sandhurst).
For the second successive year Sam Smith, managing director of Fix Auto Leeds North, Fix Auto Leeds South, Fix Auto Bradford South and Fix Auto Keighley received the network’s Multi-site Operator of the Year prize and 10th anniversary plaques were also presented to Fix Auto Bolton, Fix Auto Derby, Fix Auto Wrexham and Fix Auto Redcar.
As the network turned 20 in March 2025, that milestone was acknowledged with 20th anniversary conference presentations to Fix Auto Dagenham, Fix Auto Weston-Super-Mare, Fix Auto Loughborough, Fix Auto Bradford South and Fix Auto Keighley.
Paying tribute to the award winners at the 20th anniversary conference Ian Pugh, managing director of the Advantage Group of Companies which Fix Auto UK is part of, said:
“Once again our awards evening has highlighted the breadth of talent we have throughout the organisation and the total commitment to our customers our franchise partners pay to ensure we continually provide an industry-leading service.
“While we have to have winners and my sincere congratulations goes out to every recipient, in reality, each and every franchise partner in our network deserves recognition for the level of service they consistently deliver.”
Raising the bar
Pugh added: “Every year we seem to raise the bar for our National Conference and this year’s event has been no exception. We welcomed a record number of sponsors, delegates, insurers, industry experts and suppliers to a world-class venue that has once again lived up to all of our expectations. As ever again, our event has made me extremely proud to lead this organisation.”
The awards dinner, which featured comedian Ed Byrne as the evening’s entertainment, was preceded by a full programme of daytime speakers and an expo showcasing the products and services of the network’s supplier partners as part of the 20th anniversary conference.
Following a welcome address by Fix Auto founder and CEO of the Advantage Group of Companies Bob Kirstiuk and a keynote company update from Pugh, the speaker line-up included Priya Lakhani OBE, Ben Towers, and Riaz Shah, with artificial intelligence, next gen customers and business intelligence high on the list of topics.
Fix Auto UK ESG manager Cheryl Chung spoke about the future of the business from a sustainability perspective to close the 20th anniversary conference, and also hosted a panel discussion on skills featuring Fix team members Teagan Whiteman (Fix Auto Newport) and Victor Silva (Fix Auto Dagenham), and Apprenticeship Central’s commercial director Eleanor Baker Barnes.
