What Van? Britain's biggest and best van buyers' guide

LDV has appointed a dealer development manager for the UK as it continues its push to return to the mainstream of the light commercial industry on the back of its value for money product range.

The brand has assigned Bill Laidlaw with the brief of expanding its dealer network  across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland from its current 33 sites to 60 over the next two years.

“Bill has an in-depth understanding of how the CV industry operates and this makes him the ideal candidate to continue to expand our dealership base and connect with even more customers in the UK,” said Mark Barrett, general manager, LDV UK and Ireland.

Laidlaw has joined LDV from Bristol Street Motors in Stoke where he was the Ford commercial and business manager. Prior to this he was sales manager for New Commercial Vehicles at the Van Centre, Richmond.

Laidlaw claimed LDV dealers’ ability to provide out of hours servicing coupled with the brand’s provision of its 555 finance package – comprising a five year (or 125,000 mile) warranty, five year’s roadside assistance and a five-year finance lease deal with payments starting from £168 a month, all prices listed exclude VAT, would attract customers into showrooms.

“One thing all LDV dealers have in common is their willingness to go the extra mile to keep a vehicle’s downtime to a minimum,” Laidlaw said.