Have I got mews for you
London’s only Morgan dealer proves location counts
If the rolling Malvern Hills are the ideal setting for appreciating Morgan’s quintessentially English identity, it seems a cobbled mews in South Kensington is a perfect place to be selling them. Indeed, as the capital’s only dealership Morgan London sells more cars than any other and has won dealership of the year for two of the three it’s been in existence.
“I think it does give a very Morgan atmosphere,” says dealer principal Anthony Barrell. “A lot of the people coming here like the location and the ambience of the mews compared with one of those glass showrooms. Nearly three-quarters of our sales go abroad to Russia, Japan and all across Europe – clearly many of our customers have second or third homes here in London and they enjoy the ambience.”
Good for setting the tone but surely test drives are a little more complicated when you’re based in London? “We’re not far from the bigger roads to get out of town,” says Barrell, “and we offer to take anyone who’s interested in a car to the factory in Malvern.”
Back in the day there were stories of Morgan customers being held for years on waiting lists. Given that, are most people crossing the threshold already sold on the brand or are they waiting to be converted? “I think it’s both,” says Anthony. “You get people who’ve seen them driving around and are curious to find out more, and others who have done the research and know exactly what they want. Interestingly, we’ve not yet sold to one existing Morgan owner – they’re all conquest customers.”