1 week Ago By [email protected] (Jess Molyneux)
It is now in its fourth generation It's now been 50 years since a family empire first opened their doors in Liverpool. Originally located on Scotland Road, Williams Liverpool BMW was first a petrol station and car showroom when it launched in the city back in 1974. Through the decades, the family business, now in its fourth generation, has evolved into a leading retailer of BMW vehicles.
Today, it offers a wide range of premium models from its home on Great Howard Street and other sites across the north west. Founded by John Henry Williams, who initially worked as a wheelwright, the company's history dates back much further than its time in Liverpool. Margaret Orton Williams, chairman of Williams Group and granddaughter of founder John Henry Williams, has seen the growth of the business in Liverpool and beyond.
As part of the Liverpool ECHO's How It Used To Be series , we spoke to Margaret, 85, about the history of her family business in the city and how she's seen the industry change through time. Margaret, originally from Sale, told the ECHO: "We go back 115 years. "My grandfather, he was a wheelwright, to begin with.
But that turned into, obviously, cars and we had a little repair garage under the railway arches off Deansgate in Manchester. "It was a very small business indeed. Then my father took over, and we staggered through the war, but then after the war, probably around 1948, my father managed to get a contract from what was then the War Office to repair army vehicles out in Fazarkerley in Liverpool.
"That's how we actually came to Liverpool in the first place. The first garage we had in Liverpool was a small garage in Walton. It was in the seventies that we acquired the BMW distributorship and that was in Manchester.
"But because we were then also in Liverpool, we then brought BMW over to Liverpool. And that was 50 years ago in Scotland Road." In the last half a century, much has changed for Williams Liverpool BMW, from the industry itself to technology and the car models they sell.
Margaret said: "Going back to the Manchester days, I remember being allowed to play on the one typewriter we had, so that was a bit different. "But we've managed to grow with the change. We've grown and developed and it's an entirely different place now to what it used to be.
On Scotland Road, it was much smaller. "I can remember when we had 200 employees. Now we have 800 employees, so we've grown enormously.
"We were very proud of our dealership in Scotland Road, which we kept until around the year 2000, then we moved to our present dealership. It's incredibly satisfying that we have got very faithful customers and that we can go on looking after them. "Every opening of a new site is a tremendous moment.
We've opened recently a very, very big site near the Trafford Centre with BMW and Mini and Land Rover. That was an amazing moment, but each new opening is an amazing moment for us." Now decades on from their humble beginnings, the business is now in its fourth generation, with Margaret's son and daughter working in the family company.
Margaret said: "We're very, very proud of it. "We are like a big family - I think if you asked any of our employees, they would tell you that. It's wonderful to think that we are all still involved and love the business.
"Its success and its reputation really matters to us and my children feel the same as I do, which is wonderful. I'm incredibly proud of my father because he was basically the one who led it in the right direction and laid the foundations for the successful business we've got today. "It's entirely due to him.
The thing he would be most proud of is to see his grandchildren involved in it and to know that they've still got his standards of integrity. "He would be absolutely astonished. I hope he can see it, I believe he can.
" To mark its 50th anniversary in Liverpool, a celebratory event hosted by television presenter Simon Rimmer took place at the Museum of Liverpool earlier this month. The event featured a preview of a film, ‘Liverpool Story’, which is a visual celebration of the city filmed over twelve months by local documentary makers, Shut Out the Light. Additional footage featuring both the Williams family and colleagues, many who work behind the scenes at the centres on Great Howard Street and Pall Mall, was shot and features workers who shared their experiences of working in the business through the years.
TV star Simon Rimmer interviewed the documentary maker Dan Draper and members of the Williams family, whose great-grandparents and grandparents also worked in the business at the event. As a premier retailer of BMW vehicles, Williams Liverpool BMW also showcased a collection of classic models alongside modern counterparts at the anniversary event, as well as commissioned the Liverpool String Quartet to create and perform a bespoke playlist. Margaret said: "Liverpool is a place like no other.
There is a special warmth and character our team bring to work that makes us stand apart. They put their own stamp on the organisation and put into practice our family traditions and values to ensure the business continues to go from strength to strength." Guy Adams, managing director of Williams, added: "We are incredibly proud of our 50-year history in Liverpool.
This city has been an integral part of our story, and our long-term relationship with the city and its people is a testament to our outstanding team who consistently deliver the Williams difference every day." Williams is the sole supporter of the "Liverpool Story" film release which premieres in November at the Liverpool Philharmonic. To find out more, click here.
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