Fancy That!
28th March 2008
In a career dating back to the Beatles era, Bob Seal has sold everything from bangers to Bentleys. He has sold millions of pounds worth of cars but now he’s really astonished everyone – by retiring at 65!
Bob’s colleagues at top North Lincolnshire car dealership Eddie Wright were shocked when they realised that none of them has ever chipped in for a retirement present before.
Not only that, none of them could recall even hearing of a car salesman hitting pension age!
Car salesmen, it seems, usually disappear into the wide blue yonder long, long before pension age!
General Manager Tony Roan said: “It is incredible but Bob is the only salesman that I can think of that’s made it to 65 in the business.”
Chairman Tony Wright, who can match Bob’s forty years in the motor trade, added: “ For sure Bob’s the only salesman who has ever left this firm having reached normal pensionable age.”
“I would just add that we’re not age-ist here. Why would we be? Bob has done extremely well during his time with the dealership, right up there with the best of them.”
“Our back-of-the-fag-packet calculation is that over the past six years he has done around £10 million pounds worth of business for us.”
A native of Hereford, Bob joined the motor trade in 1968 after leaving the army. Since then he’s worked at various dealerships in South Wales . . . run his own firm . . . and sold Rolls Royces and Bentleys in Surrey.
He joined Eddie Wright in Scunthorpe in 2002.
In his forty year career in the business he has sold over 8,000 motor cars, valued at over £50 million pounds.
Just for the record, Bob’s never worked with anyone who retired at 65 either!
Bob said: “ I suppose it does tend to be a young person’s business. It can be quite a stressful job at times and involves working evenings and week-ends, so it does have an impact on your social life.”
“Most of the sales people that I work with are in their twenties and thirties. I have always found the job interesting, so I never left to do something else.”
Are North Lincolnshire car buyers any different to people in Surrey or South Wales?
“Apart from the fact that talk a bit funnier they are just the same,” he quipped. “No, seriously I have really enjoyed working here. The people are lovely and the firm has changed beyond recognition in the six years I’ve been here.”
“I was the ninth salesman when I joined. There are now sixteen. The operation has doubled in size, with a huge increase in the size of the site and the range of vehicles. It’s been interesting.”
Bob will not be putting his feet up in retirement. In May he’s emigrating to New Zealand, where he has family, to start a new life. His first job will be to build a house!
Further information or comment please contact Tony Roan or Tony Wright at Eddie Wright on 01724 270755
