Local business driving support for Culture Bid

SUNDERLAND’s City of Culture Bid is hoping its on the road to success, after gaining the backing of yet another high profile supporter.

The Pulman Group, which has four garages across Sunderland and Durham, will be displaying three City of Culture branded cars, adorned with Sunderland 2021’s distinctive colours, in an effort to raise awareness of the city’s bid to scoop the crown in the hotly-anticipated competition.  

Strategically placed at Pulman’s showrooms, it is hoped the cars will attract attention and act as a conversation-starter, as the submission date for the bid draws ever closer.  

Chris Slater, Communications Manager at Pulman, said: “We are incredibly proud to be able to support the bid. Hundreds of people pass our showrooms every day, so we know that having a presence like this will increase visibility of the bid and hopefully get people excited about Sunderland 2021 and what it could mean for the city.   

“We have been in Sunderland for nearly ten years, and employ a lot of people from here, so we really do care about the city and would love to see it succeed – not only for the people of Sunderland, but for the whole region.  It is great – as a local business - to show our support for the bid and hopefully help with this final push before the first stage of the competition begins.”

He added: “The changes in Sunderland are already visible and there is so much investment being ploughed into the city. Anything we can do to further that progression can only be a good thing, and winning City of Culture 2021 would provide the impetus for more growth.”

The first stage of the bid is to be submitted on April 28, with the winner announced later in the year.

Sunderland is up against Coventry, Hereford, Paisley, Perth, Portsmouth, St Davids, Stoke, Swansea, Warrington and Wells, so every bit of support counts.

Rebecca Ball, director of Sunderland 2021, said: “This is a phenomenal display of support from Pulman Group and we are incredibly grateful to them for getting behind us and helping us to spread the word about this bid. Three branded cars showing Sunderland 2021’s colours is a sure-fire way to get noticed and will hopefully give us a final push before the bid is submitted this month.

“The competition is fierce and we have to demonstrate that we have a groundswell of support for our bid, not only locally, but regionally. Having local businesses showing such visible signs of support is of paramount importance and the more local businesses behind us, the more the judges will see just how much we all want this. It’s not too late to show your support.”

Winning City of Culture status could do wonders for Sunderland’s economy, as it can deliver a multi-million-pound boost for the successful city.  It is estimated that this year’s City of Culture, Hull, will see an extra £60 million to its economy. The city has already seen a £1 billion boost in investment since being announced as the winner of the title in 2013.

Pulman SEAT & SKODA scoop National awards

Pulman celebrated a brace of awards for their SEAT and ŠKODA retailers. Pulman SEAT, based in Sunderland secured the ‘Best UK Sales Performance’ and the site overall was recognised with a Bronze Award for overall performance.  No to be outdone the fantastic new Pulman SKODA site based in Belmont Durham won the ‘Best New Car Sales’ for ŠKODA too. A fantastic achievement for Pulman Group.

Each year SEAT UK and ŠKODA UK award the top performing dealers in the network. Pulman SEAT and Pulman ŠKODA triumphed over 133 SEAT retailers and 128 ŠKODA retailers respectively.

Both awards are measured on numerous criteria throughout the year, but to win an award Pulman have shown excellence in both sales volumes and customer service performances.

Chris Slater, Head of Business at Pulman SEAT comments: “We are so proud to be awarded these prestigious awards. At Pulman, our key objective is to deliver a fantastic customer experience, the fact that both our sites have been recognised with these awards is testament to this. This is down to the hard work of every single person at Pulman, going above and beyond for our customers! A special mention goes to my Sales Manager Alex Paget and his team, the best SEAT sales team in the UK, it takes huge dedication and focus to achieve this accolade. We also want to thank our amazing customers who have given us great feedback and support which has allowed us all to receive this award!”

Pulman SEAT acquired Alexander Bridge Cars Sunderland in 2010, a SEAT retailer with a long heritage in Sunderland. With over 27 years at the same location and with countless awards since 2010, it is safe to say that the Pulman Family has had a positive influence.

In contrast, Pulman ŠKODA Durham which is still in its infancy, was formed in 2015 within a pop up showroom and then moved into its purpose-built flagship showroom in Belmont, Durham in the summer of 2016. A brand-new site which has won ŠKODA New Car Retailer of the Year for two years in a row!

An ecstatic Ian Jarvis, Pulman ŠKODA Sales Manager comments: “It is fantastic to be recognised for the second year in a row by ŠKODA UK for our 2016 performance. I’d like to thank the Pulman SKODA staff and customers for supporting us throughout these past two years, from the small pop up facility to the fantastic showroom we have today. Going above and beyond for our customers to ensure that their next car is perfect for them.”

Pulman who represent SEAT, ŠKODA and Volkswagen are not your usual car retailer. With subtle surprises such as the fantastic Café Dafté in  Pulman Volkswagen, Durham & Pulman SKODA, where high quality meals are freshly prepared daily, food that could rival restaurants at Café prices. Complimentary drinks and free Wi-Fi for Pulman customers at all locations, there’s even a pilates and yoga studio at Pulman ŠKODA.

Chris Slater continues: “We want to establish a lifetime engagement with our customers. A relationship where customers buy their first car right with Pulman through to choosing their last, meeting and exceeding their needs through their journey. It is difficult to differentiate yourself on price alone these days as everyone has offers. However, we believe in delivering that fantastic customer experience through our Pulman people, will give us an edge over our competition.”