Inspirational Welsh Wonders Crowned Medium Bodyshop of the Year

The 2024 Bodyshop Magazine Awards was once again a celebratory occasion for Fix Auto UK with winners and finalists across the prestigious awards reflecting the continual growth and strengthening of the network.

Less than 18 months after joining the network, Fix Auto Swansea West owners Matthew Davies and Paul Gravell capped off their meteoric rise within the industry and were crowned Bodyshop Magazine’s Medium Bodyshop of the Year last night.

In front of a packed audience attended by the vehicle repair sector’s leading lights, the duo stepped up on stage at the Metropole Hotel, Birmingham, to receive their honour. What makes their journey truly inspiring is that they were first forced into a business partnership during the height of the pandemic after teaming up to repair a single vehicle at a time out of a makeshift garage. Today, the award winners are now a multi-site operator having opened Fix Auto Pontypridd during the summer and are repairing more than 40 vehicles a month with scope for more.

Commenting on Matthew and Paul’s success, Simon Wait, Bodyshop Magazine Editor, said: “What those guys have achieved, and indeed continually achieve, in such a short space of time is nothing short of inspirational. It is evident just how much they care not just about their business, their ability to repair vehicles to the highest calibre but also about this industry of ours. They truly are worthy winners.”

Huge congratulations are needed for Fix Auto Liverpool South’s Lesley Knisz who was Highly Commended for the second successive year for the coveted Bodyshop Manager of the Year award.

Fix Auto UK also had a strong presence in the highly regarded 30 Under 30: Rising Stars awards with four flagbearers having their achievements within the industry recognised. Anna Belova, Operations Assistant at Fix Auto Weston-super-Mare, Sam Barnett and Adrian Matthews, Assistant Manager and Panel Technician respectively at Fix Auto Gloucester along with Rickesh Chohan, Commercial Analyst at Fix Auto UK, all received their awards for their roles.

Ian Pugh, Managing Director for Fix Auto UK, said: “What an incredible journey Matthew and Paul have been on since those dark days in Covid when they started out! Their ambition is only matched by their ability to deliver. What they have built up in such a short timeline really is a credit to them and the team around them. My congratulations go out to all our finalists and, of course, to our 30U30 recipients.”

The strength of Fix Auto UK’s network was again validated as Fix Auto Slough and Fix Auto Leicester were finalists in the Medium and Large Bodyshop categories respectively and, for the first time ever, Fix Auto UK’s Owned Sites was also named as a finalist in the Bodyshop Group of the Year category.