Thompson Motors marks 75th anniversary
In commemorating the milestone, a new state-of-the art heavy vehicle dealership will open in Marburg soon.
If you grew up on the South Coast, chances are that Thompson Motors has been somewhere in your story most probably a first car, a bakkie bought to start a small business or a truck that kept stock moving when times were tough.
This year the Thompson family commemorates its 75th anniversary since its inception in 1950. The Thompson story did not begin with a shiny showroom, it began when Brian Thompson and his brothers opened Brian Thompson and Brothers in Pietermaritzburg. Those early years set the tone of working long days, with oily overalls and handshakes that meant something, and customers who quickly become part of the Thompson circle.
The South Coast chapter began in December 1974, when Clive Thompson took a brave step and opened a Nissan dealership with a BP service station in Shelly Beach. Not long after in 1975 the operation extended to Port Shepstone. In those days the dealership introduced the beloved Datsun vehicles to locals, thereafter adding Nissan, Fiat, Alfa Romeo and Nissan forklifts to the mix.
As the South Coast grew, so did Thompson Motors. In 1990 the old BP service station site was transformed into the Thompson Service Centre making Shelly Beach a proper home for servicing and support.
In 2005, the Thompson Commercial Centre in Marburg was launched to look after trucks, forklifts and commercial fleets. In 2007, the Renault franchise arrived, followed in 2014 by the return of Datsun, giving customers even more choice under one family umbrella.
Today Thompson Motors is proud to be the South Coast agents for Nissan, Renault, UD Trucks, FAW and Eicher – from compact hatchbacks and family SUVs to serious workhorses that keep local businesses running.
“We have had the pleasure of talented and committed people in our team. Many have risen to senior management positions and many of them have seen out their careers and retired as loyal members of our team.
To the lower South Coast people, we enjoyed serving and who have been loyal customers – thank you. I am proud to say that the company today is led by a strong, resourceful management team consisting of my sons Andrew and Richard Thompson and Ernest Strecker, the general manager. We will open the new state-of-the-art heavy vehicle dealership in Marburg and it is fitting that we do so within the timeframe of our 75th anniversary in the automotive business,” said Clive Thompson, managing director.
He thanked families who have purchased from them generation-after-generation as well as every member of staff who has worn the Thompson badge with pride.
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