Mercedes-Benz dealer Orwell Truck & Van has opened a new £1m sales centre in Ipswich.

East Anglian Daily Times: Mercedes-Benz Dealer Orwell Truck & Van has opened a new �1m sales centre in Martlesham Heath, Ipswich.Mercedes-Benz Dealer Orwell Truck & Van has opened a new �1m sales centre in Martlesham Heath, Ipswich. (Image: Archant)

The top van retailer said the investment showed its commitment to the brand.

Managing director Neil Jacob said: “The very substantial investment we have made in this outstanding facility underlines our determination to provide light commercial vehicle operators with the very finest customer service.

“It also demonstrates our confidence in, and commitment to, the future of the Mercedes-Benz Vans brand.”

The new showroom is the latest in a series of investments by parent company Imperial Holdings since it acquired the manufacturer’s franchised partner for East Anglia in 2013.

East Anglian Daily Times: Mercedes-Benz Dealer Orwell Truck & Van has opened a new �1m sales centre in Martlesham Heath, Ipswich.Mercedes-Benz Dealer Orwell Truck & Van has opened a new �1m sales centre in Martlesham Heath, Ipswich. (Image: Archant)

The centre, which occupies a prominent position in Martlesham Heath, close to the A12, features space for three vans, and offices on the ground and mezzanine floors.

The opening means Orwell Truck & Van’s Ipswich team have now secured coveted Mercedes-Benz Van ProCenter accreditation, in line with colleagues at Newmarket and Norwich.

The Europe-wide standard of excellence is awarded based on quality of staff employed by the dealer and its procedures in relation to light commercial vehicles.

Van sales director James Russell said: “Our new showroom is ideally positioned and the perfect platform from which to take our retail van sales business to the next level.

East Anglian Daily Times: Mercedes-Benz Dealer Orwell Truck & Van has opened a new �1m sales centre in Martlesham Heath, Ipswich.Mercedes-Benz Dealer Orwell Truck & Van has opened a new �1m sales centre in Martlesham Heath, Ipswich. (Image: Archant)

“We now look forward to introducing many new customers to models from our award-winning Citan, Vito and Sprinter ranges, as well as the exciting X-Class, the first Mercedes-Benz pickup, which arrives early in 2018.”

Mercedes-Benz Vans UK has made a record-breaking start to 2017, posting an 18% increase in vehicle registrations, or 8,813 vans, during the first quarter.

In 2016 the brand recorded its seventh consecutive year of growth and Orwell Truck & Van played its part the rise. The dealer, which employs 200 people across its network of branches in Ipswich, Colchester, Newmarket and Norwich, sold 1,252 vans last year, a 16% increase on the previous 12 months.

In the year ended June 2016, the firm’s turnover rose to £74.5m, while gross profit rose by more than 4% from £9.4m to nearly £9.9m.