I saved my family’s Govan business during the cost-of-living crisis

Martin McGuire, from the Southside, was faced with shutting down JMC Used Cars after his dad suddenly lost his eyesight five years ago.

The 38-year-old decided to take a risk by relocating the company from England, where his father 63-year-old Jim McGuire lives, and starting from scratch in Glasgow.

However, after setting up he was immediately hit hard by the pandemic, and then suddenly after that the cost-of-living crisis.

Despite the uphill battle and brutal challenges Martin has now come out the other side and is the proud boss of the Govan garage which has now even been shortlisted for awards.

(Image: Martin at his company JMC Used Cars in Govan, Glasgow.)

(Image: Martin at his company JMC Used Cars in Govan, Glasgow.)

Martin with dad Jim (Image: Sourced)

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He told the Glasgow Times how he kept the business afloat and why he believes it is now thriving: “I grew up watching my dad in the industry and have always been really interested, growing up I always knew wanted to be a car salesman – I just love it.

“When my dad suddenly lost his eyesight it was very hard, doctors couldn’t explain why his vision was getting worse so suddenly.

“We considered closing the business down but I decided to rebuild it in Glasgow instead which was a big decision.

“Then we were hit by the pandemic right away, the timing was just all wrong and again I thought about giving up but we managed to pull through it.”

(Image: Martin at his company JMC Used Cars in Govan, Glasgow.)(Image: Martin at his company JMC Used Cars in Govan, Glasgow.)

Soon after the world was struck by the cost of living crisis which was another blow, but Martin found more people began looking for secondhand cars.

He also built a strong online presence during lockdown that helped him connect with customers, which he believes in their strength.

Martin added: “I believe it is our great customer service that keeps us going and is the key to our success, we really go above and beyond for people.

“Customers can contact me directly so I can personally take issues on.

“The place has a nice vibe because we keep it casual, there’s no suits or anything so it is a relaxed atmosphere.

“As cheesy as it sounds, we have a passion for looking after people and cars.”

Jim suddenly began struggling with his vision around five years ago (Image: Sourced)

Martin thinks the garage has survived due to their excellent customer service (Image: Sourced)

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JMC Used Cars has recently been nominated for multiple awards this year from Autotrader.

They were picked from thousands of dealerships across the UK and will attend the annual awards ceremony in London with the industry’s leading car dealers.

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The business has been shortlisted for awards (Image: Sourced)

JMC Used Cars is based in Glasgow now (Image: Sourced)

Martin explained: “To be recognised at prestigious awards for the company is so amazing, I don’t think a local car dealer our size has been nominated before.

“They send a mystery shopper in and assess your service secretly, and now have selected us as one of the best in the UK out of thousands of businesses.

“We had to scrimp and save a lot, it was really hard work to get where we are now so to see it pay off is great.

“We have a really good reputation which is something I am really proud of.”

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