iRG Repair Group is delighted to announce the acquisition of Abergavenny-based Randall Howell & Son – a move that cements the group’s position as Wales’ largest repair group.

Based in an 11,000 sq ft facility on the Union Road Industrial Estate in the Monmouthshire market town, Randall Howell is an established bodyshop that has been trading for 21 years. It boasts nine manufacturer approvals including Volvo, Polestar, Renault, Kia and Xpeng with the capability to undertake approximately 30 jobs per week.

Previous co-owner Andrew Howell is staying on as site manager to oversee the eight-strong team transferring over to the new business which has been bolstered with additional staff from within the group and renamed iRG Abergavenny.

“We’ve known Andrew and his father and business partner Randall for a very long time and their business aligns with ours,” said Lee Wallbank, iRG Managing Director. “It is a well-established operation with an excellent reputation in the Abergavenny area so is a great fit for us and fills the gap between our sites in Merthyr, Newport and Hereford thus creating significant efficiencies in our own day-to-day running.

“We’ll be investing in the site as needed but there is nothing required immediately apart from the installation of iRG signage and the switchover to our systems, so everything is geared up for a seamless transition and a continuation of insurance work.”

For Lee and his senior leadership team of Joe Moore, Commercial & Procurement Director; Daniel Lewis, Finance Director; Claire Jones, HR Director and Kieran Nowland, Group Compliance Director, the acquisition is a landmark moment.

“With additional work streams that we’ve recently attracted to the business, this is the start of a new growth phase for iRG,” said Lee. “This summer’s introduction of i-Direct,

our new mobile repair operation, is an area we’ll look to strengthen in the short to medium term and we’re already having two new vans built to add to the two vehicles we had at launch.

“However following our acquisition in Abergavenny, we’re looking at further expanding our network and hopefully we can add another site this side of Christmas.”

Whilst huge emphasis has been placed on quality repairs and customer service as demonstrated by recent performance awards from Enterprise Rent-A-Car and AX Motor Assist, iRG has also been focused on looking after its staff which now numbers 164 across seven sites following the acquisition of Randall Howell. Last year, iRG won the Bodyshop Staff Wellbeing Award at the NBRA Greener Bodyshop Awards in recognition of the wide range of programmes and benefits introduced to assist employees in the workplace and their home lives.

“The acquisition is a positive and exciting step forward in our post-Covid journey,” said HR Director Claire Jones. “It gives us the opportunity to combine strengths, ideas and ways of working while bringing new investment in people and the future of the business.

“We’re more determined than ever before to continue with the build of a unified culture here at iRG where everyone feels valued, supported and excited about what’s ahead, with wellbeing, engagement and collaboration at the centre of everything we do.”