SDE Group were appointed to deliver a full refurbishment of the Trust Ford Ashton Gate dealership as part of Trust Ford’s national rollout of their new flagship showroom concept. The project aimed to transform the existing dealership into a premium, high-specification retail environment in line with Trust Ford’s evolving brand standards. Works were carried out in close collaboration with Trust Ford’s internal teams to ensure the new concept was realised to the highest standard while allowing the dealership to remain fully operational throughout the programme.
Trust Ford required a full upgrade of their Ashton Gate site to align with the new flagship dealership concept being trialled nationally. The existing showroom no longer met the brand’s aspirations for a premium customer experience and required significant architectural, mechanical, and external improvements. A key challenge was the need to carry out an extensive, multi-trade refurbishment programme while the dealership remained fully trading – meaning works had to be carefully managed to avoid disrupting day-to-day sales and customer-facing operations. Additionally, the external grounds required reconfiguration to maximise the sales pitch capacity, which involved the demolition of an existing used car building.
Internally, the showroom was stripped back and rebuilt to a high-end specification, including the installation of impressive architectural lighting rafts, new partitioned office spaces, a feature glass balustrade staircase, and a reconfigured showroom layout to optimise the customer journey. New suspended ceilings were installed throughout, alongside a full upgrade of the air conditioning and mechanical ventilation systems. An uptime operations office was also incorporated to support the dealership’s ongoing business activities during and after the works.
Externally, the site was redesigned to increase vehicle display capacity through the demolition of the redundant used car building, along with the installation of new external signage including a striking 10-metre totem sign.
The project was delivered over a 16-week programme, with all works carried out under live site conditions to allow Trust Ford to continue trading throughout. A carefully considered phasing strategy was developed and implemented to sequence the works in a way that minimised disruption to daily business operations and maintained a safe, professional environment for both staff and customers at all times. Each phase was coordinated closely with the Trust Ford site team to ensure business continuity was protected at every stage, from early demolition and structural works through to final fit-out, signage installation, and external landscaping.
