Ken Jervis A4 12pp Newsletter November 2025 V1 - Flipbook - Page 8
Time to Celebrate
YEARS
of Ken Jervis Kia
The year 2000. Tony Blair was the
PM, the best-selling car was the Ford
Focus, reality TV was a new idea,
you could buy 5 pints for well under
a tenner, and bob the Builder was
top of the charts. And on Cobridge
Road, Hanley, the Ken Jervis Kia we
know and love, was born.
“I became Managing Director in 1999,
the same year we took on the Kia
franchise,” recalls David Norwood.
“The business had already traded for
many years as a Mitsubishi dealership
and we sold Daihatsus for a couple of
years, but Kia was growing so rapidly
and expanding and improving its
range at such a pace that it was the
obvious choice for the future.
“Back in 2000 we had 19 staff and
turned over a creditable £4.6 million.
Now we have 59 people and turnover
is £25 million. A lot has changed!
For the past 10 years we have been
selling approximately 1000 new
and used cars per year and, I’m very
pleased to say, we have a wonderfully
loyal customer base, many of whom
have returned to us multiple times,
and across generations of the same
families.
“The biggest challenge we’ve faced,
despite economic downturns, credit
crunches and pandemics, has
probably been lack of space as the
business has continued to grow.
Fortunately, we’ve always been able
to acquire new land to allow the
company to breathe and to provide
pleasant and comfortable facilities for
our customers.
ONE TO
WATCH OUT
FOR IN 2026
One of the most exciting events of early 2026 will
be the highly-anticipated launch of the Kia EV2.
The EV2 concept has already raised a lot of
excitement in the motoring press and we just can’t
wait to see this funky new all-electric city car in our
showroom. From the outside, its solid, square stance
and aerodynamic lines are immediately apparent
and very impressive. From the inside it’s just so cool!
The stripped back cabin, accessed by traditional
front doors and rear-hinged back doors with no
troublesome door pillar, is chic and vibrant - perfect
for city living.
EV2 is a small car with a big, big personality!
Watch the Ken Jervis Kia website for news of the launch!
“The biggest changes have come
with the Kia range. We made an
excellent choice 25 years ago and Kia
has invested in developing a really
excellent range of vehicles, with
the focus since 2020 very firmly on
electrification.
“When we started with Kia we were
selling the Kia Pride for £4995. Now
we have the fabulous and luxurious
EV9 starting from £65,985. It isn’t
hard work to grow a dealership
when you have such great products
constantly arriving on the forecourt.”
And David’s recipe for success?
“Look after the staff and look after
the customers. Simple as that. Some
things don’t change.”
