The end of the road for historic garage

A West Midlands car dealership has closed its forecourt after 56 years. Peter Carroll looks at the story behind Boston's of Milford.

It's been the oldest independent car dealership in Stafford for as long as anyone can remember. . .

Bostons of Milford has been selling vehicles from its semi-rural site on the edge of Cannock Chase for over half a century.

Even owner Derek Boston describes it as a 'country bumpkin garage.' Yet he has rubbed shoulders with his share of aristocrats - and once found himself under a Mercedes with King Constantine of Greece trying to fix a mechanical fault.

"The King was a friend of Lord Lichfield who was a regular customer here," recalls Derek. "We got his car fixed in the end and off he went."

During his 47 years in the motor trade, Derek has dispatched cars as far afield as the Orkneys in the UK and was delighted to be told that a Hillman Hunter bearing a 'Bostons of Milford' sticker had been spotted in the Falklands.

Yet his days as an independent garage boss have drawn to an end. Derek decided to close the business just before Christmas on what he describes as the saddest day of his life.

"I had to make 15 people redundant and was in tears that day."

The cars are gone from the forecourt and Derek will sever his ties with the site at The Green when he and wife Jill move out of the flat over the garage at the end of the month.

The closure of the Fiat and Daihatsu franchise brings 56 years of car retailing to an end. His father Gordon bought what was then a transport cafe called the Rock House Cafe in 1954 and added a petrol station the following year. Derek, an only child, was pressed into service selling sweets and home-made ice cream.

"We employed 18 ladies on Sundays in the summer and customers would pay half a crown deposit to have lunch on the edge of the common."

When he was older he graduated to serving fuel and joined the business at the age of 18 in 1963. He began selling new Fords when the Beatles were breaking into the charts and Doctor Who was making its TV debut.

"Cars were easy to sell in those days," recalls Derek. "We had a deal where it was £100 to change your car for a Ford Anglia."

Gordon Boston & Son, as it was now called, continued retailing Fords until 1972 when it changed to a Chrysler (later Talbot) franchise.

Derek took over at the helm three years later and changed manufacturer in 1982 when he signed up with Fiat. In its 1990s heyday the garage sold up to 1,000 vehicles a year and had up to 25 staff on its books thanks to a contract to supply Fiat people carriers to the London taxi market.

But this annual figure had slumped to around 300 and Daihatsu's decision to withdraw from the UK market last year also hit the business.

Apart from not being able to get sufficient stocks of new cars, it became increasingly difficult to compete with the big national dealer chains.

"Margins got tighter and we could no longer compete with the big boys," says Derek. He is directing customers to Platts of Stoke which is to open a Fiat and Alfa Romeo outlet in the Tollgate area of Stafford shortly.

Now 66, Derek has no plans to retire and intends to work part time for Platts on the fleet and commercials side of their operation, and will oversee conversions of Fiats into Motability vehicles for disabled drivers.

"My hobby has always been my business. Right up until Christmas I was working a 55-hour week - from 8am until 6pm every day, plus Saturday mornings too. I always said I would die selling a car."

His only real interest outside his business is watching West Bromwich Albion and he's a season ticket holder at the Hawthorns: "It's generally more stressful watching the Baggies than running the business."

Derek and wife Jill, 63, will move into a bungalow in the town, and plan to spend more time in Tenerife.

Part of the site has been taken on by haulage firm Nickolls and Son next door. It is not yet clear what will happen to the showroom. Derek is pleased all but a couple of his former staff have found new jobs.

"To be honest I'm looking forward to leaving now. The cars have gone, the showroom is empty. It feels a bit strange."