Coffs Harbour Named National Franchise of the Year 2015

For the third year in a row, Bridgestone Select Coffs Harbour has received national recognition and taken home the top honour at Bridgestone’s annual MasterClass awards.  

As National Franchise of the Year, the store has achieved the highest standards in customer service, safety, compliance, sales, showroom and workshop management and responsible tyre recycling.

Owner Ashley McDougall – who was presented with a brand new Toyota Hilux as part of the prize for being named Bridgestone’s National Franchise of the Year – said the win was a testament to the efforts of his team, including Manager Neil McAlpine who has worked at the store for 38 years. 

“Neil takes a systematic approach to running the store and does his utmost to make each and every customer feel at home,” Ashley said.

“Ninety per cent of business is from repeat customers and when you see how well Neil and the team treat their customers, it’s not hard to understand why people keep coming back.

”Neil said the store was known for its outstanding customer service.

“We work together to offer the best price and service possible, all while having a bit of laugh with our customers,” he said.

Neil said the win would not have been possible without the support of General Manager James Walker and Ashley, who has owned the Bridgestone Select outlet in Coffs Harbour for 17 years.

“I would like to say a huge thank you to Ashley, James and my team. For a business in a little town like Coffs Harbour to receive a national award is a great achievement – and for it to be our third win is even better,” he said.

In addition to being named National Franchise of the Year, the store was also inducted into Bridgestone’s Chairman’s Club – an accolade reserved for those stores which deliver the ultimate in customer service, operational excellence and more.

Bridgestone Australia and New Zealand Managing Director Andrew Moffatt said the store was extremely worthy of the award.

“This win recognises the hard work and dedication of everyone at Bridgestone Select Coffs Harbour – a team dedicated to providing outstanding customer service and expert advice – and we congratulate them on that,” Mr Moffatt said.

The celebrations continue at four other Bridgestone stores owned by Mr McDougall, with the Belmont, Mayfield, Tuggerah and Thornton outlets recognised for their dedication to best practise at the annual awards. Bridgestone Select Tuggerah was also inducted into the Chairman’s Club.