Tag: history

Maybe they were not aware of it then, but on 24 September 1948, the 34 Honda Motor Company employees were making history.

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Trident Honda is delighted to announce that it took over the former Anvil Autos site, on Thursday 17th December 2020.

This historic site will give us a visible presence on the busy Otter roundabout, as well as providing us with much needed display space for our extensive selection of Honda Approved Used Cars. The workshop, once a blacksmith's (see History below), will be used for additional vehicle preparation space for our ever-busy Honda dealership.

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Steve Henderson, Dealer Principal for Trident Honda Ottershaw, as well as Commercial Director, retires today.

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Following the completion of our showroom redevelopment, we have taken some external photos and a 360° internal views (see below).

We are very proud of our new showroom, why not come along to our Macmillan World's Biggest Coffee Morning on Friday 28th September, and on Saturday 29th September, and see it for yourself?

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In loving memory of Michael Roberts, Woking & Sam Beare Hospices is delighted to announce that one of its 20 bedrooms at newly built Woking Hospice will be named after the late Mr Roberts, whose family have supported the Surrey-wide hospice for over two-and-a-half decades.

Held on Wednesday 20th June, the hospice held a special room naming ceremony to mark the extraordinary life of Michael Roberts, who was the father of Mark, Richard, Christopher and James Roberts and founder of Trident Honda, the family run community car dealership in Ottershaw which has been a corporate partner of Woking & Sam Beare Hospices since 1992. Also in attendance for the naming of the room were Terry Smith and Tony Usher representing Woking Rotary Club who over the years have been hugely supportive of the hospices and have now funded the hoist for Room 20.

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Michael Roberts - 30 January 1931 to 4 April 2017

It is with great sadness that we have to tell you that Michael Roberts, our Founder, Chairman, Friend and Father passed away peacefully at 10am this morning at the Woking Hospice, after a prolonged battle with cancer.

Michael established Trident Honda in 1963 and managed the business for some 33 years until his retirement in 1996. The business was incredibly important to him and he instilled within it a strong culture of customer care which persists to this day. Michael continued to take a keen interest in the business right through to his final days.

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It has now been confirmed that our last normal day of trading at Weybridge will be Thursday 2 April, although our Sales Department will be open for reduced hours on Friday 3 and Saturday 4 April.

From 5 April the site will still be in use by a skeleton staff for a week or two, whilst our Ottershaw workshop redevelopment is completed, but all customer enquiries should be directed to our Ottershaw branch from that time.

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The 'Trident Honda 50th Anniversary Event' runs for eight days, from Saturday 26 January to Sunday 3 February, at both its dealership sites – Queens Road, Weybridge and Guildford Road, Ottershaw, near Woking.

Managing Director Richard Roberts explains:

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Our managing director Richard Roberts today announced the appointment of James Roberts to the board of directors:

I am very pleased to announce that James Roberts, our Group Used Car Buyer, has been promoted to the role of Director - Used Car Operations with immediate effect. This is in recognition of the role played by James in a vital part of our business.

Please visit our Management Team page for more details.

Trident Weybridge is delighted to have been given responsibility for Cobham and its environs, by Honda, including:

• Cobham
• Downside
• Martyr's Green
• Stoke D'Abernon

Whilst Trident Honda is delighted to welcome customers from any area, this is a recognition by Honda of Trident Weybridge's outstanding customer care.

Trident Honda is delighted to announce that it has been awarded the new Legend franchise by Honda. Trident Honda's Managing Director, Richard Roberts, says:

Having driven the new Honda Legend, I was astonished at the new levels of technology being employed and delighted that this has been achieved without detracting from the driver's enjoyment. We are greatly looking forward to welcoming the Legend to Trident Honda and to our customers.

After discussions with Honda, it has been determined that, due to their franchising territory plan for the Thames Ditton territory, we will be selling our assets at Thames Ditton to Thames Honda; who operate a number of surrounding sites.

Going forward, it has been agreed that we will operate the area from Weybridge and Walton across to Staines, Chobham, Camberley and Woking; which in itself is a great territory.

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Trident Ottershaw joins the World of Honda

Trident Garages is well known locally as a long-established family business, with dealerships in Ottershaw and Weybridge. The Trident name has long been associated with MG Rover; but, after 42-years, it is all change at Trident Honda, as the last of its MG Rover dealerships, based at Ottershaw, has now joined the World of Honda.

We visited Trident Ottershaw as the last of the Honda signs were being erected, and there was a real buzz amongst the staff. The showroom looked thoroughly modern, following its renovation last year, with additional design touches now being introduced by Honda.

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Christopher Roberts, our Accounts Manager, has been appointed Finance Director.

Stephen Henderson, General Manager of our Weybridge dealership, has been appointed Commercial Director.

Steve joined Trident in 1997 as general manager of our newly constructed Weybridge dealership, after 20 years with a successful dealer group and reaching the position of finance director.

Steve says:

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Our chairman Michael Roberts and his wife Valerie Roberts have today retired from the Trident board of directors, after 35 years at the wheel.

Michael and Valerie Roberts founded the business in 1963, before retiring from an executive role in 1996 - when their son, Richard Roberts took over as managing director.

In addition to Richard Roberts, our board of directors now comprises Roy Hubbard our sales director and Steve Henderson our commercial director.

Trident Weybridge was officially opened by Philip Hammond, MP for Runnymede and Weybridge, on (date unknown). Trident acquired the site in 1996 and have now completed a complete demolition and redevelopment.

Trident are delighted to announce that they have acquired the freehold of the Red Cross centre in Ottershaw. This site joins our Service car park, and will enable us to provide our customers with ample parking.

Richard Roberts has been appointed Managing Director (exact date unknown), following the retirement of our founded Michael Roberts. Whilst Richard will take over the day to day running of the business, Michael Roberts will continue to play an active role as Chairman.

Trident is proud to announce the launch of its first website at:

We believe this to be the first Rover and MG franchised dealer website in the UK and probably in the world.

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Trident are delighted to announce that they have acquired the freehold of the Lex Weybridge site at 30 Queens Road Weybridge and will be developing it as a Rover and MG dealership.

We are proud to announce that Trident has been appointed one of the first 100 MG Dealers. Out of 600 UK dealers, Trident was one of only a handful of dealerships to match or exceed 100% of Rover's criteria.

Trident has purchased freehold premises in Goldsworth Road, Woking. The site has now been rebuilt as pioneer satellite Rover dealership.

Trident Garages has been appointed a Main Dealer for Rover for the Woking area and granted distribution rights (exact date unknown).

Richard Roberts has been appointed Commercial Director.

Trident Garages has been appointed a Main Dealer for Austin Rover (exact date unknown).

Our sales manager Roy Hubbard has been appointed sales director (exact date unknown).

Trident has been appointed an Austin Morris dealer (exact date unknown).

It's not widely know that Trident appeared in The Sweeney, a hugely popular TV show of the 1970's. The Episode was Visiting Fireman, Season 3, Episode 3, at around 25 minutes in, and it was aired at 9.00pm on ITV on Monday, 20 September 1976. Whilst this was the only appearance of Trident, Ottershaw also featured in Nightmare and possibly others.

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Trident Garages (Ripley) Limited and its premises in Ripley has been sold. The Ripley business and staff have been transferred back to our newly rebuilt site at Ottershaw.

Trident has completed a rebuild of its premises at Ottershaw, incorporating new showroom and workshop (exact date unknown).

Trident has relinquishes the lease on the garage premises in Church Street, Woking (exact date unknown).

Trident has been appointed a Rover Retail Dealer (exact date unknown) and has relinquished its Rootes franchise.

Trident has been appointed Licensees of the Shell petrol station opposite our main site in Ottershaw (exact date unknown).

Trident has been appointed Triumph and Rootes dealers (exact date unknown).

Trident has leased garage premises in Church Street, Woking (exact date unknown).

Trident Garages (Ripley) Limited incorporated (exact date unknown) in order to purchase the petrol filling station in Ripley.

Michael Roberts, his brother-in-law John Peirson-Smith and father-in-law Ian Maybury incorporated Trident Garages Limited.

Prior to his death in 2017, Michael Roberts wrote about his purchase of Trident Garages:

“It happened also at this time that Ian Maybury, Valerie's stepfather, said he would be interested in funding a garage enterprise and I agreed to look for suitable businesses for sale.

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