All change for dealership

A Mid-Canterbury dealership that has been operating for more than 100 years is being taken over as part of joint venture that will deliver a new Mitsubishi sales, service and parts business.

Smallbone Ltd is being acquired by Morrison Motors Ashburton Ltd, which has been formed under a partnership between Carrfields Group and Morrison Cars

Craig Carr, chairman of Smallbone and managing director of Carrfields, says the new joint venture company plans to open the doors to the Mitsubishi dealership in February 2021. 

Morrison Motors Ashburton will be located at the current Smallbone premises at 177 Archibald Street, Tinwald. 

Carr adds all Smallbone Ashburton staff are being offered positions in the new enterprise, which will continue as an authorised agent for Holden parts and service for the next 10 years. 

“As long-established, Canterbury-based, family-owned businesses, Carrfields and Morrison share many common synergies and values,” he explains. 

“Carrfields is a diverse agribusiness group. Morrison operates new and used vehicle sales and service centres in Christchurch and Rangiora, as well as having existing family ties to the Ashburton district. 

“To date, the Mitsubishi brand has only been represented in Ashburton via service agents, so we are very pleased to now be able to offer a full-service sales, service and parts operation and together bring the highly-respected Mitsubishi brand into our group of businesses. 

“We are looking forward to leveraging our shared values, experience and local knowledge to cement a successful and enduring partnership.”

The change coincides with the departure of Smallbone executive director Bob Grant, who was Carrfields’ former joint venture partner with his wife Deirdre in the Smallbone business. 

Grant is retiring after nearly 50 years of service to Smallbone as an employee, owner of the business and more recently as a 50-50 joint venture partner with Carrfields. 

Grant says the succession plan for the business was chosen carefully and he is pleased with the arrangement with Morrison and Carrfields. 

“It’s extremely important to me that our customers are going to continue to receive the high standards of service they have had from Smallbone, with a constant focus on doing even better,” he explains. 

“While it is an opportune time to hand the reins over to the next generation, I am still very interested in the wellbeing of our customers and staff. 

“I’m very proud of the people we’ve employed over the years and I’ve enjoyed seeing a lot of people go on to bigger and brighter things because of the experience they’ve gained with our business.”