The remarkable success story of Staffordshire Triumph marked another milestone in October when its proprietor Bob Sheldon celebrated 30 years in the trade and 20 years of being a Triumph dealer. Bob started his working life down the pits as a miner, then set up a business buying and selling motorcycles from his home in Stoke-on-Trent back in 1991. Dedicated premises followed, and in 2001 Sheldon took on the Triumph franchise, and the business has gone from strength to strength.
Now in 12,000sq.ft premises in Tunstall, one of Stoke-on-Trent’s six towns, Staffordshire Triumph is one of those shining gems of inspiration to all those starting out in the industry. Hard work, determination, and a passion for excellent customer service are key to Sheldon’s success in building a loyal, returning customer base.
Sheldon decided an open day was in order to celebrate a brace of anniversaries and put up for grabs a brand new Triumph Trident as the main raffle prize. Punters had to visit the showroom to buy a ticket and attend the open day to claim the prize. The raffle generated more than £5000 for the Midlands Air Ambulance charity.
Prize winner – A new Triumph Trident went to Bing Bingham, handed over by Staffordshire Triumph proprietor Bob Sheldon (right)
The charity angle was only a side benefit to the day, with the main focus being on meeting as many customers as possible to thank them for their support over the years. Sheldon and the team served more than 800 hot drinks and 686 hot pork baps, so it’s safe to say that those attending didn’t go away hungry!
Looking forward, Sheldon says “It’s been a fantastic 20-year relationship with Triumph, and I’m looking forward to continuing growing the business alongside the brand, which is making big strides in broadening its appeal to a wider cross-section of riders. With the new 1200 Tiger, Speed Triple RR and Tiger Sport joining the lineup, the future looks exciting and bright.”
Sheldon acknowledged that the last 18 months have been challenging, but with customer footfall returning to almost normal levels, he is optimistic that they are over the worst. “Component shortages are problematic industry-wide, but we’re getting on with running our business and overcoming the hurdles as we hit them.”
The dealership has hit its first-quarter target and is on track to hit second-quarter figures too. Sheldon is also keen to join Triumph on its anticipated off-road adventure and keenly awaits developments.
When the winner of the Trident raffle was announced, Sheldon was delighted to reveal that it was a second-generation customer of the business, Bing Bingham, who scooped up the prize, which was a fitting outcome for both the busness and the winner. “It was great to see the bike go to a customer who has already bought several bikes from me and also his dad before him. The whole team at Staffordshire Triumph had a great day, a lot of hard work went into it, but it was really worthwhile.
“Next year sees us celebrate ten years in these premises, which were at one stage Triumph’s biggest showroom in Europe.” Will it be time for another open day? “Let’s recover from this one first!” says a smiling Bob Sheldon!