Benton House proves ideal base for high performance car speicialist

A move to new premises in Benton has proved a winning move for JM-Imports, the North East’s leading High Performance and Exotic Car specialists.

Established in 2002 by managing director, Jurgen Vallons, JM-Imports was born out of a frustration to source the high-performance cars featured in the Fast & Furious film franchise and has steadily grown into a specialist car company that imports and exports high performance cars. The company now employs 14 personnel and enjoys an annual turnover of some £2m.

Jurgen Vallons explained, “I was a CNC milling engineer with a good job but was always fascinated by high performance cars the so-called ‘supercar killers’ as they were attainable by normal people but could out-perform the most expensive brands. We imported our first car from Japan in 2002 and learnt how to tune the engines and improve their performance and the company was up and running!”

“We now provide a one-stop shop to source, maintain and modify high performance vehicles, everything from the iconic Nissan GT-Rs to top-of-the-range McClarens and Lamborghinis, to the highest standards but our growth was restricted by our previous premises in Cramlington.

“What was attractive was the location, so close to the Metro station, the space we had in a 12,000 sq ft unit and the 24hr security the site provides. Courtney and his team were also very helpful during our relocation and flexible in the lease options so we were delighted to take a 10 year option.

“The unit now has all our facilities, including the Dyno Rolling Road and spray booths, in one location and we’re shortly going to be installing mezzanine floors for additional car and parts storage.

“The first few years starting the company were tough undoubtedly, especially with a young family, but we’ve built up our expertise and global reputation and have learnt to work smarter to keep ahead of far larger companies. In truth less than 30 per cent of our customers are within the North East but we have fantastic local staff so have no intention of moving in the foreseeable future!”

Phil Rodgers, commercial director of Benton House Ltd, added, “We’re delighted that Jurgen and his team are enjoying such huge success and were more than happy to provide assistance to them during their move.”

By Mark Adair – Correspondent, Bdaily