Frank Swain and Jack Lewis-Jones opened the original Swain & Jones workshop at 38 East Street, on the opposite side of the road to the modern showroom, in 1908, just a decade after Farnham’s John Henry Knight invented one of Britain’s first ever motor cars.
However, after 107 years selling brands including Austin, Morris, Wolseley, Riley and most recently Jaguar, the family-run dealership will leave Farnham for good on November 20 after its 33-year relationship with Jaguar Land Rover (JLR) came to an abrupt end.
Swain & Jones’ current chairman Peter Lewis-Jones, the third generation of his family to run the business, condemned JLR’s decision not to renew its fixed-term agreement at the cost of one of the UK’s longest-running car dealerships and 34 jobs as “extraordinary and disappointing”.
He said: “Only a few years ago the company was the top performing independent Jaguar retailer in the country. Sadly this has counted for nothing and the Jaguar and Land Rover franchises ceased on October 19.
“One thing I have always valued throughout my business life has been the relationships we have built up with the various manufacturers we’ve represented. It may be a sign of business today that this type of relationship doesn’t seem to exist any more.
“Our modern showroom was opened in 1989 by Sir John Egan, the then-chairman of Jaguar, and he believed that it represented the future for Jaguar cars. I am saddened that his vision for the future of Jaguar in Farnham was so short-lived.
“We have put a lot of investment into Jaguar cars over the years but the heritage of a business like ours, which has been trading for 14 years longer than Jaguar have been trading themselves, doesn’t seem to come into their decision-making process.”
Mr Lewis-Jones confirmed Swain & Jones considered taking on an alternative franchise, but came to the conclusion that without the Jaguar Land Rover brand the company is no longer sustainable operating from its premises in Farnham.
As such, Mr Lewis-Jones will retire, bringing his family’s long association with Swain & Jones to an end, while the company’s managing director Graeme Lungley will relocate the dealership to his home county of Dorset, where it will specialise in online used car sales.
Mr Lungley added: “Jaguar Land Rover are going through a process of modernisation in a way that leaves little room for sentiment and historical relationships. Put simply, if you don’t fit in their plans then you get terminated.
“Because we offer a high-end product we’ve traditionally suited the Farnham market, and I believe that we still could represent the Jaguar brand very well in Farnham.
“We’ve always been a very strong performer in relation to other Jaguar dealers. We were top in our region for our performance against our objectives last year, we were in the top 10 this year for customer satisfaction on sales, and out of 91 dealers we’re in the top 10.
“But because our showroom isn’t big enough to stock both Jaguar and Land Rovers under one roof, JLR see that as enough reason to terminate its agreement with us.”
Swain & Jones’s chairman paid tribute to the 34 members of staff set to lose their jobs, as well as the 3,500 customers on the company’s books - some of whom travel from as far away as Wales, Cornwall and even France to have their cars serviced in Farnham.
Mr Lewis-Jones continued: “I am proud to have been personally associated with Swain & Jones for the past 50 years and it has been a privilege working with such dedicated staff, and to have looked after so many loyal customers over these years.
“Our primary concern has been to ensure our loyal staff and customers do not suffer as a result of JLR’s decision and the company has been working hard with staff to ensure they are able to find suitable job opportunities.
“I have been overwhelmed by the support we have received from customers, many of whom have written or telephoned to express their bewilderment and sadness at Jaguar’s decision.”
In order to provide customers with a continued level of service, Mr Lewis-Jones added he has reached an agreement with MOTest in Farnham to provide a specialist Jaguar and Land Rover service facility in the town - including taking on mechanics and equipment directly from Swain & Jones.