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cars) to shift from supplying only the chassis and drivetrain of a vehicle to building the complete car, bodywork and all. With
Freestone and Webb's main chassis supplier relationship coming to an end, the coachbuilding business continued to refurbish and build bodies until 1958, when it became only
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Following Harold Owen's death, the H.R. Owen business was bought by Percy Fritz Swain, who reopened the business in 1946 on the old location in
Berkeley Street. An astute trader, Swain began to build a larger motor empire, buying up retailers as well as coachbuilders and suppliers. On the death of
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In 1997, on the 65th anniversary of H.R. Owen's foundation, Malaya Group changed its name to H.R. Owen plc. In 2000 the group bought Jack
Barclay, thus becoming the world's largest dealer for Rolls-Royce and Bentley cars. Although the two brands were split at manufacturer level in 1998 between
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Harold Owen and Jack
Barclay parted company amicably five years later when the former decided to start out on his own in motor retailing – though the two names would be linked once again 68 years later, when the two companies bearing their names were reunited. The new H.R. Owen Rolls-Royce and
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Showroom in
Mayfair attracting customers from around the world and displaying a selection of the worlds most sort after vehicles. In 2021 , HR Owen CEO, Ken Choo, announced to the world the £30m project for a groundbreaking expansion to its retailers by opening the UK's most luxurious
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In 2004 the H.R. Owen group sold its
Volkswagen and the majority of its BMW brand dealerships to their respective manufacturers. A year later the firm was appointed official UK dealer for Bugatti and by 2008 became the world's largest Bugatti dealer. The company was quoted on the
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named H.R. Owen as the best
Ferrari retailer in the world in 2014 after the business scored the maximum number of points in all of the judging categories. Then, in 2018, H.R. Owen's Rolls-Royce Motor Cars London showroom was awarded Global Dealer of the Year by Rolls-Royce.
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The Group operates retail outlets in London, Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Hertfordshire, Surrey, and
Manchester, which includes fourteen sales franchises and thirteen aftersales franchises for the Aston Martin, Bentley, Bugatti, Ferrari, Lamborghini,
345:. Serving in Northern France in 1917 the 18-year-old Captain Owen was badly injured in a crash, spending a week in a coma. It was almost a year before he could walk again, but after the war was over he returned to uniform, joining the Indian Army.
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Harold Owen fully intended to resume the motor retail business post-war, but he fell ill when on tank manoeuvres with his regiment, the 4th Queen's Own
Hussars, and died 17 February 1940, following an emergency operation to remove a brain tumour.
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to a City syndicate led by
Radford. The syndicate sold those operations to Provincial Traction in March 1961. Ten years later in 1969 Provincial Traction joined the Wiles Group which was later renamed
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352:. A keen sportsman, Owen's skill as a polo-player made him welcome at society house parties. This gave him many useful sales contacts when he joined Rolls-Royce and Bentley retailer
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The post-war years were not kind to independent coachbuilders as prestige manufacturers such as Bentley and Rolls-Royce were obliged by advances such as
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Owen subsequently served for some years abroad, principally at Bombay, Karachi and Aden, before returning to Britain and beginning work at the
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of Cheltenham, a smaller luxury motor dealer, for an enterprise value of £2.8 million. Broughtons owned three Bentley franchises in
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in February 1932 and continued trading until the outbreak of war, when luxury car retailing came to an enforced halt.
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In early 2011, as part of a new alliance with Ferrari, the company opened a flagship Ferrari 'Atelier' in London's
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for almost 25 years. It was bought by Malaya Group plc in 1994 then under the leadership of Nicholas Lancaster.
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412:. Just over twelve months after that Hanson exchanged it with Lex which almost immediately passed it on to
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In October 1959 Swain sold the Rolls-Royce and Bentley distributorships and the allied service function to
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franchise in Cheltenham, forging a relationship between HR Owen and Aston Martin for the first time.
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having previously sold H.R. Owen's other operations which he had put under the name of coachbuilders
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also located in Mayfair. Expending its London operations it opened the United Kingdoms flagship
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In September 2013, H.R. Owen was the subject of a takeover by Malaysian investment group
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is a luxury motor retailer in Britain, and one of the world's largest retailers in
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showroom in the United Kingdom, and the world's oldest Bentley showroom:
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of Berkeley Square remains the world's largest Bentley dealer.
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Companies based in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
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476:(strengthening HR Owen's relationship with Bentley) and an
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Rolls-Royce Motor Cars (bought by BMW Group), and Bentley (
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AM100 analysis: Jardine Motors drives ahead with expansion
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895:"H.R. Owen recommends investors accept BPI takeover bid"
650:"HR Owen wins Ferrari's Global Dealer of the Year award"
598:"Industry analysis: HR Owen backs the luxury car market"
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in 1927, becoming general manager a short while later.
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Companies formerly listed on the London Stock Exchange
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573:"H.R. Owen hosts Bugatti previews at London showroom"
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retailers at the recently acquired five-acre site in
675:"HR Owen named as world's number one Ferrari dealer"
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Then in 2016, the Berjaya Group, led by its founder
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847:"Business big shot: Nicholas Lancaster of HR Owen"
697:"HR Owen is Rolls-Royce Global Dealer of the Year"
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917:"Berjaya Philippines takes ownership of HR Owen"
388:construction (finally adopted in 1965 for their
942:"HR Owen doubles profits at supercar showrooms"
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377:A.J. Webb in 1955, Swain bought coach builder
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811:, Saturday, 23 May 1970; pg. 11; Issue 57877
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424:H.R. Owen remained within Gerald Ronson's
807:Deal with Hanson doubles Lex operations.
781:The Provincial Traction Company Limited.
768:The Provincial Traction Company Limited.
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109:Learn how and when to remove this message
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283:brands. The company is headquartered in
873:"HR Owen acquires Broughtons for £1.5m"
824:Friday, 4 Sep 1970; pg. 26; Issue 57962
360:Bentley dealership opened in Mayfair's
1017:Auto dealerships of the United Kingdom
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337:on 6 November 1899, and served in the
1032:British companies established in 1932
648:Hutchinson, Curtis (6 January 2016).
1037:Retail companies established in 1932
552:. Herald Scotland. 14 September 2013
550:"HR Owen accepts improved Tan offer"
47:adding citations to reliable sources
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420:Growth and consolidation, 1970–2013
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897:. Yahoo Finance. 13 September 2013
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723:"Harold Rolfe Owen - Graces Guide"
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624:"News & Features Editor"
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820:Bids, Deals & Mergers.
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677:. AM-online. 7 January 2016
571:ellisdavies (9 June 2020).
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498:Brands and dealerships
727:www.gracesguide.co.uk
451:London Stock Exchange
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701:www.motortrader.com
224:Number of employees
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853:. 31 December 2009
379:Freestone and Webb
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41:Please help
36:verification
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750:. H.R. Owen
527:. H.R. Owen
492:Vincent Tan
426:Heron Group
343:World War I
309:Lamborghini
277:Lamborghini
257:Rolls-Royce
209:Luxury cars
58:"H.R. Owen"
1011:Categories
981:51°30′08″N
901:6 February
879:6 February
857:23 January
754:23 January
511:References
470:Pangbourne
466:Cheltenham
462:Broughtons
193:Ken Choo (
183:Key people
69:newspapers
984:0°09′22″W
926:8 October
851:The Times
822:The Times
809:The Times
796:The Times
783:The Times
770:The Times
748:"Company"
707:5 October
628:AM Online
386:monocoque
335:Yorkshire
317:Hatfield.
253:H.R. Owen
124:H.R. Owen
951:27 March
732:27 March
633:27 March
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394:T-series
329:Founding
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474:Byfleet
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300:Ferrari
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161:1932
62:news
341:in
244:.uk
242:.co
238:www
195:CEO
174:SW7
142:PLC
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