A ray of sunshine for the automotive sector shines on Lancashire. The iconic Rocket Centre, with over 10,000 square ft. of showroom space will be home to Lister Motor Company HQ. The Whitebirk location is part of Lister’s £10 million expansion plan, an exciting development for the North West.
Lawrence Whittaker, Managing Director of Lister Motor Company, CEO of Warrantywise, and Lancashire based businessman is looking forward to the relocation:
“The Rocket Centre is going to be the HQ for Lister Motor Company, Warrantywise and also a showroom for our hypercars. It’s a brilliant space, excellent location and is part of a large expansion plan we are undertaking. A lot has changed since we purchased Lister Motor Company, we have great momentum. Our manufacturing will still be taking place in Oxford, but the UK headquarters will be right here in Lancashire.”
Lawrence took over as CEO of Warrantywise, one of Britain’s largest warranty companies, at the age of 23 in 2008. Over the last 10 years, the company has gained worldwide recognition and written over 50,000 warranties per year! In 2013 Warrantywise purchased Lister Motor Company and re-created the Lister-Jaguar Knobbly car for historic race events, with great success.
“Not only will we be creating new jobs in a variety of trades, the new location will be showcasing our newest creation, the Lister 666BHP [which is the first of several Jaguar models for Lister]. The aim with this bespoke addition to our collection was to design and build the fastest, most powerful and luxurious Lister ever made, based on the Jaguar F Type. We have succeeded and only 99 of these will be made. Launched earlier this year, £3.1 million of orders was received in just 24 hours.”
Quentin Willson, award-winning motoring journalist, TV presenter and producer said:
‘With so much gloom in the car industry it’s great to hear that new jobs, economic activity and optimism are being generated in Lancashire. Lister and Warrantywise are forward-thinking British companies who are bucking the current economic trends and proving that vision and determination creates work and opportunities for everyone. I’m proud to be a part of these two automotive success stories.”
Miles Parkinson, Leader of Hyndburn Borough Council, commented:
“It’s excellent news for the borough, not only will it create jobs but it will attract other premium brands to the area. As a council we are celebrating this, Lister and Warrantywise are premium brands and perfectly suited at the Rocket Centre. We are committed to developing larger areas to invite larger businesses, early next year we will be allocating new areas where it’s crucial to attract new business. Specifically, on the M65 corridor, J6, 7 and 8; we aim to connect East Lancashire to the national motorway network, putting areas like Huncoat and Clayton-Le-Moors on the map.”
“Historically we have been the centre for industries such as textiles, these are a declining trade and it’s incredibly important to keep Warrantywise within the borough and welcome Lister’s headquarters and hypercar showroom – the first of its kind. We couldn’t be more pleased that Lawrence chose the Rocket Centre to be the centre of the expansion.”
