Neil Hodgson meets Mark Mitchell, founder of the Mitchell Group

THE Disney empire all started with a mouse – for Mark Mitchell, his £35m motor group began with a hamster.

He explained: “When I was eight, before I realised the facts of life, I put two hamsters together, turned the lights down low, put some Barry White on and 16 days later there were 10 hamsters running around in the cage.

“I am no animal lover, but realised I could take them to school in my pockets and sell them.”

The 48-year-old Birkenheadonian jokes that he had the schoolyard monopoly in hamsters: “I must have sold about 40, all good quality.”

A year or two later, he moved into pushbikes on his next step to business success.

Along the way, the former Birkenhead School pupil achieved an economics degree at Leeds and developed a strong affinity with the motor industry, first as a graduate trainee with Austin Rover in the Midlands, then as Greater Manchester sales manager for Ford.

His love of motors blossomed when, aged 25, he joined motor dealer Inchcape and ran a Jaguar franchise in the Cotswolds, then oversaw 10 dealerships for Yorkshire-based Dixon Motor Group as operations director.

But he always yearned to return to Merseyside and in 1990 set up a petrol stations business in Wirral with his new bride, Anita, with £100 of share capital and a £10,000 overdraft from Barclays, in Water Street.

Within three years, Mitchell North West had grown to four filling stations.

But, in 1996, Mitchell was back on the forecourt with a Mitsubishi dealership in Eastham.

The petrol stations were gradually disposed of as the Mitchell Group started to take shape.

Luxury marque Lexus was added in 1999, followed by Skoda in 2001, when the business relocated to its current Cheshire Oaks site at Junction 10 on the M53, and a fourth site, Mitchell Select, offers “previously enjoyed” vehicles.

A natural salesman, Mitchell is happy to acknowledge such qualities in others. He confided: “I bought the land in a pub from a man called Don Evans who was a hard negotiator.

“As we agreed on the final figure he asked if he could shake my hand. He wouldn’t let go. He said, ‘you have got a deal, but you’ll throw a Lexus in for the missus, won’t you’?”

Back in 2001, a Skoda franchise next to a Lexus dealership may have raised the odd eyebrow or two, but Mitchell said: “I saw a very clear and distinctive future for Skoda and the opportunity to be included in transforming a brand on Merseyside was a great opportunity.

“We all know the jokes about Skoda, but who would have thought they would have won the Which? Car Manufacturer award last year?”

Since opening, his Skoda dealership has been among the best in the worldwide Skoda family.

Recently, it was crowned top UK retailer, named best in the UK for marketing and PR, and service advisor Dave Woodcock was named best in the UK, securing a place in the upcoming global final against his international counterparts.

Excelling in service is at the heart of the Mitchell Group. Its Lexus dealership is a UK star and customer care awards have followed every year since Mitchell opened his Mazda dealership in 2004, having relinquished Mitsubishi after a conflict of conscience.

The manufacturer wanted Mitchell to open on Sundays, which is counter to his Christian faith.

The site’s opening hours plaque details all their hours of business, but states: “Sunday: At home with the family.”

He said: “I want my team to achieve success at home, as well as at work.

“We have probably lost business, and I know we are swimming against the tide, but I believe people like to deal with organisations that have got very clear boundaries.

“There’s a lot of greyness in business and for me things can be black and white and, if anything, our customers appreciate the fact that we take care of our staff first, even before them.”

He added: “My Christian faith has helped with running the business.

“A book written about 2,000 years ago talks about knowing the secret of being content. I don’t want to rule the world, I am quite happy where we are now.”

That doesn’t mean there’s any let- up in standards, though. As we stroll between dealerships, he stoops to pick up a cigarette stub littering the lawn: “My big phrase to all the staff is ‘retail is detail’ and if it means me picking up a cigarette butt I will do it.”

And the detail at the Mitchell Group is precise. All 104 staff, some with 15 years’ service, were recruited by Mitchell: “There’s no HR manager, it’s me.”

He even interviews the parents of prospective apprentices for their state-of-the-art workshop: “The guys in the workshop earn the same as the sales staff. They are all outstanding technicians, not kids who have failed their O-Levels.”

The public face of the business is equally as impressive. The Lexus reception boasts £150-each Italian tiles, an £8,000 TV and a £15,000 reception desk: “You have to have that to have a Lexus dealership. It is not flash or ostentatious. We just really appreciate people’s business and want to do our best for them.”

The service includes the personal touch, including a bouquet of flowers with each new car – the florist bill last year was £50,000 – and even leaving new cars outside restaurants or on the top of mountains as a surprise for new owners.

The other “little things” that make the business unique are an annual drive and lunch for Mazda customers; a servicing waiting area on a par with a BA executive lounge – last year, the company spent £30,000 on refreshments; free Saturday car washes for customers; and an annual family canal trip and lunch for staff and their families, as well as a full- blown staff Christmas dinner and party in the workshop.

The personal touch also includes a home visit by Mitchell and wife Anita to all new parents on the staff, complete with a gift of distinctive baby wellingtons.

“I am trying to bring some passion and colour to the motor industry.”

The latest accounts to December 31 show turnover of £35.7m compared with £34.4m and a pre-tax profit of £1.42m against £1.45m. Every year, Mitchell donates 10% of profits to charity, particularly young causes and poverty relief.

Last year, the dealership sold 2,430 cars, much the same as in 2009, but the first quarter this year is already showing improvement.

Hopefully, the new car market is emerging from the credit crunch, and for serious “petrol heads”, Mitchell has a treat in store for early autumn when he takes delivery of the Lexus LFA “supercar” which retails for £350,000 and is one of only four, out of a global total of 500, built as a right-hand drive for the UK market.

It embodies the glitz and glamour of a motor trade that so beguiled Mitchell as a youngster.

Yet he insists his faith allows him to maintain a level head: “There’s a lot of ego in the motor industry and I don’t subscribe to it.

“I just want to take good care of what I have been entrusted with.”