Press Releases
23 March 2012
BENTLEY NAMED AS ONE OF BRITAIN’S TOP EMPLOYERS 2012
Crewe — Bentley Motors has for the first time become one of a select few organisations nationwide to be named as a Top Employer for 2012. The annual report, compiled by independent research company, CRF Institute, described Bentley’s global headquarters in Crewe, Cheshire, as offering the company’s 4,000 employees “exceptional working conditions”.
Bentley has been recognised for creating a culture where staff are proud to uphold its values and work for the company. Particular attention was given to the Company’s promotion of engineering careers - and the manufacturing sector as a whole - to school and college children. This commitment is made even more visible by the Company’s award-winning graduate and apprenticeship programme.
The recognition comes after a dramatic 37% increase in sales for Bentley in 2011. With 7003 cars sold globally and exciting new models being launched, it is a very busy time for Bentley and for those working for the company.
Christine Gaskell MBE, Member of the Board for Personnel, said:
“Everyone who works at Bentley is proud of the brand. We work hard to ensure the commitment to excellence seen in all our cars is reflected in our commitment to our staff. Achieving this award for the first time proves we are on the right track. One of the things that is unique about Bentley is that all the functions work together on one site in Crewe - from designers to engineers, and sales and marketing professionals. In addition, although we enjoy lots of investment from our parent company, Volkswagen AG, we are still essentially a British company.”
The CRF Institute has completed this year’s research into the HR practices and employee offerings of a large number of employers in the UK. Only 67 of those organisations met the stringent research criteria and received the Top Employers certification. Bentley scored highest in the area of Career Development.
Eleanor Nickerson, Country Manager, Britain’s Top Employers: “This year we’re proud to certify our strongest group of Top Employers to date. Increasingly we’re seeing creative and intelligent HR practices and employee offerings that ensure the working experience is positive, and that employee groups get what they want from their employment. We’re seeing a heavy emphasis on flexible benefits, on segmented employee offerings and on career development that ensures employee growth and good succession planning.”
For more information about the CRF Institute, the research and Bentley’s scoring in the research, visit www.britainstopemployers.co.uk. For more information about Bentley, go to www.bentleycareers.com
ENDS
Notes to editors
- Bentley Motors is the third largest R&D investor in the UK's automotive sector and the 18th largest nationally. The company employs almost 4,000 people in Crewe which is home to all its operations including design, R&D, engineering and production. The combination of fine craftsmanship, using skills that have been handed down through generations, alongside engineering expertise and cutting-edge technology is unique to UK luxury vehicle manufacturers such as Bentley. It is also an example of high-value British manufacturing at its best. Bentley exports over £500m worth of goods every year to established markets like the US, as well as emerging markets such as China and South America.
- Bentley has made a strong start to 2012 with a year-on-year global sales increase of 47% and 894 cars delivered to customers in the first two months of the year. In China sales were up 66% with 324 cars delivered whilst in the US we delivered 251 cars (+29% over the same period). European sales continue to grow strongly, up 39%. After a challenging year in 2011, the UK has started 2012 with a strong 16% sales increase. The Middle East has also significantly increased its sales performance by 55% with 93 cars delivered to customers.
- Bentley’s global sales for 2011 increased by 37% with 7,003 cars delivered. This growth was led by the Chinese region (1839 cars delivered) with mainland China (excl. Hong Kong and Taiwan) up 104.17% (1664 cars). However, the Americas remains the biggest market for Bentley with 2,021 cars delivered (up 32%) in 2011. All major markets were up with Europe up by over a half, due mainly to high demand in Germany (up by nearly 90%). The UK market proved to be more challenging, but still saw an increase of over five per cent. The surge in sales was led by demand for the new Continental GT. Over one third of all Bentleys sold in 2011 were GTs with 2404 delivered to customers. December 2011 was Bentley’s best month since the recession and the second highest ever, boosted by the first deliveries of the new soft-top Continental GTC.
CRF Notes to editors:
- The CRF Institute is the independent organisation behind the Top Employers projects. Since 1991 the CRF Institute has developed its proprietary methodology, research and deliverables.
- With headquarters in Amsterdam, the CRF Institute is active in the UK, Belgium, Brazil, China, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Poland, South Africa, Spain and Switzerland. It has certified more than 2,500 organisations since 1991.
For further information about this press release please contact:
Jo O’Brien – Corporate Affairs Manager
Jo.Obrien@bentley.co.uk +44 1270 653 888
Mike Hawes – Director of Government Affairs
Mike.Hawes@bentley.co.uk +44 1270 535 287
