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Henlys Group PLC was a major London motor distributor and dealer founded in 1917 in London's Great Portland Street. In the 1980s it was taken over by a company associated with Michael Ashcroft, then some years later sold to Yorkshire bus manufacturer
Plaxton Plaxton is an English builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Eastfield, North Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton, it became a subsidiary of Alexander Dennis in May 2007. In 2019, the maker was acqui ...
. Long-established Plaxton took the Henlys name in March 1992, sold the motor business in 1997 and with the freed capital became a major player in the bus and coach business in North America. Henlys Group, previously known as Plaxton, found it was unable to service the debt taken on for its North American expansion, liquidated what it could and closed its business in 2004.


Henlys Limited

Frank Hough (1888-1935) —who also had his own motor business in
Walsall Walsall (, or ; locally ) is a market town and administrative centre of the Metropolitan Borough of Walsall, in the West Midlands (county), West Midlands, England. Historic counties of England, Historically part of Staffordshire, it is located ...
which he had started in 1909— and Herbert Gerald Henly (1891-1973) began business in 1917 as car dealers at 89
Great Portland Street Great Portland Street is a commercial road in the West End of London which links Oxford Street with the A501 road, A501 Marylebone Road. A mixed-use street of residents and businesses, it divides Fitzrovia, to the east, from Marylebone to the ...
,
London London is the Capital city, capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of both England and the United Kingdom, with a population of in . London metropolitan area, Its wider metropolitan area is the largest in Wester ...
. When their private company was listed on the London Stock Exchange in 1928 they claimed to have one of the largest retail motor organisations in the country. It carried on business in London and Manchester dealing in "new and second hand cars of all descriptions". Showrooms and petrol stations gave the Henlys name to
Henlys Corner Henlys Corner is a brief combining junction of the A1 and the North Circular Road in North London, in the middle of which is the crossroads of the A598. Connecting roads and public transport The intersecting local road is Finchley Road/Regent ...
, the junction of the
North Circular Road The North Circular Road (officially the A406 and sometimes known as simply the North Circular) is a ring road around Central London. It runs from Chiswick in the west to North Woolwich in the east via suburban north London, connecting var ...
, A1 and
Finchley Road Finchley Road is a designated arterial road in north-west London, England. The Finchley Road starts in St John's Wood near central London as part of the A41 road, A41; its southern half is a major dual carriageway with high traffic levels oft ...
in
Hampstead Garden Suburb Hampstead Garden Suburb is a suburb of London, north of Hampstead, west of Highgate and east of Golders Green. It is known for its intellectual, liberal, artistic, musical and literary associations. It is an example of early twentieth-century ...
and to Henlys Roundabout at the start of the A30 ( at the A4 ) at Hounslow West / Cranford. The business's scale may be gauged by the chairman's catalogue of their wartime activities given to shareholders in January 1946: assembly of 25,000 army vehicles of all types, repairs and maintenance of all types of service vehicles. In addition providing nearly 250,000 tank and aircraft assemblies and parts, repair or dismantling of 1,000 aircraft, handling over 80,000 tanks and packing more than a million spare parts. In 1946 Henlys distributed Armstrong Siddeley, Austin, Bentley, Jaguar, Riley, Rolls-Royce and Rover cars along with Studebaker vehicles for the whole of England and those of the Willys Overland Corporation including their famous Jeep. When Herbert Henly died in 1973 a brief obituary in The Times reported the business he had helped found ran 110 petrol stations, works departments and showrooms throughout Britain. Henlys expanded by natural growth and by acquisition of major competitors. By 1981 car sales and profits were down. Aside from the British Leyland brands Henlys distributed Ford, Renault and Talbot. By 1984 takeover bids were in the air. In August 1984
Michael Ashcroft Michael Anthony Ashcroft, Baron Ashcroft, (born 4 March 1946) is a British-Belizean businessman, pollster and politician. He is a former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party. Ashcroft founded Michael A. Ashcroft Associates in 1972 and wa ...
's Midepsa subsidiary, Coleman Milne, reported it held 59.8 per cent of Henly's shares.


Plaxton Group

Henlys was bought by the
Lord Ashcroft Michael Anthony Ashcroft, Baron Ashcroft, (born 4 March 1946) is a British-Belizean businessman, pollster and politician. He is a former deputy chairman of the Conservative Party. Ashcroft founded Michael A. Ashcroft Associates in 1972 and was ...
backed Hawley Goodall, owners of
Coleman Milne Coleman Milne is a coachbuilder in the United Kingdom that specialises in converting cars into funeral vehicles, stretched limousines, preparation of police vehicles and other specialist vehicles. Coleman Milne creates, builds, and sells hearses ...
, the makers of funeral
hearse A hearse () is a large vehicle, originally a horse carriage but later with the introduction of motor vehicles, a car, used to carry the body of a deceased person in a coffin to a funeral, wake, or graveside service. They range from deliberately ...
s. The bid was made via a Canadian-based company part-owned by
David Wickins David Allen Wickins (15 February 1920 – 28 January 2007) was an English accountant-turned-entrepreneur, best known for founding the vehicle remarketing business British Car Auctions, and saving Lotus Cars. Early life David Allen Wickins was ...
of
British Car Auctions Constellation Automotive Group is a used vehicle marketplace. It was founded in the United Kingdom in 1946, as Southern Counties Car Auctions, and was a publicly traded company, BCA Marketplace, when acquired and taken private by TDR Capital in ...
. On completion of the takeover, Hawley Goodall formed a Motoring Division comprising Henlys and
Coleman Milne Coleman Milne is a coachbuilder in the United Kingdom that specialises in converting cars into funeral vehicles, stretched limousines, preparation of police vehicles and other specialist vehicles. Coleman Milne creates, builds, and sells hearses ...
. In 1989, Hawley Goodall sold its Motoring Division consisting of Henlys and
Coleman Milne Coleman Milne is a coachbuilder in the United Kingdom that specialises in converting cars into funeral vehicles, stretched limousines, preparation of police vehicles and other specialist vehicles. Coleman Milne creates, builds, and sells hearses ...
to the
Plaxton Plaxton is an English builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Eastfield, North Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton, it became a subsidiary of Alexander Dennis in May 2007. In 2019, the maker was acqui ...
Group, the bus and coach manufacturer based in
Scarborough Scarborough or Scarboro may refer to: People * Scarborough (surname) * Earl of Scarbrough Places Australia * Scarborough, Western Australia, suburb of Perth * Scarborough, New South Wales, suburb of Wollongong * Scarborough, Queensland, sub ...
,
North Yorkshire North Yorkshire is a Ceremonial counties of England, ceremonial county in Northern England.The Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority areas of City of York, York and North Yorkshire (district), North Yorkshire are in Yorkshire and t ...
. In May 1992, the Plaxton Group PLC was renamed Henlys Group PLC.
Coleman Milne Coleman Milne is a coachbuilder in the United Kingdom that specialises in converting cars into funeral vehicles, stretched limousines, preparation of police vehicles and other specialist vehicles. Coleman Milne creates, builds, and sells hearses ...
was sold to a management buy-out in late 1992.


Henlys Group plc

Henlys pursued a strategy of diversification and expansion through the 1990s. The established
Wigan Wigan ( ) is a town in Greater Manchester, England. The town is midway between the two cities of Manchester, to the south-east, and Liverpool, to the south-west. It is the largest settlement in the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan and is its ad ...
bus bodybuilder Northern Counties was bought in 1995 for £10 million. The UK bus and coach manufacturing business, trading under the
Plaxton Plaxton is an English builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Eastfield, North Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton, it became a subsidiary of Alexander Dennis in May 2007. In 2019, the maker was acqui ...
brand, continued to produce a range of bus and coach bodywork. It also owned one of the largest UK coach dealers, Kirkby, and provided after-sales services to coach and bus operators.


North America

Henlys acquired a 49 percent share in Prévost, a leading North American manufacturer of coaches and bus shells in 1995. The other 51 percent of Prévost was owned by
Volvo The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...
. Car dealerships produced less than one fifth of Henlys' 1996 profits. The motor division, with 32 dealerships covering most major manufacturers, was sold in August 1997 to HMG, formed for the purpose by venture capitalist Legal and General Ventures. The motor division merged with Hancock Motors of Sevenoaks but HMG Holdings entered administration in February 2001. At that time HMG operated 38 sites represented 12 manufacturers and employed 1,800 to 2,000 people. Most of Henlys' substantial net cash surplus went to pay for Canada's Nova Bus Corporation. The Nova Bus deal was reported just before Christmas 1997. In February 1998, Prévost acquired
Nova Bus Nova Bus is a Canadian transit bus manufacturer headquartered in Saint-Eustache, Quebec. Nova is owned by the Volvo Group. The company has roots in the General Motors Diesel Division, which opened in 1979. Nova Bus was established in 1993, by ...
, a city bus manufacturer for the Canadian and US market.


Dennis

In July 1998 Henlys made an agreed (with Dennis) bid of £190 million for bus and utility vehicle maker
Dennis Dennis or Denis is a first or last name from the Greco-Roman name Dionysius, via one of the Christian saints named Dionysius. The name came from Dionysus, the Greek god of ecstatic states, particularly those produced by wine, which is some ...
. A hostile bidding war ensued with engineering group Mayflower, owners of Scottish bus builder Walter Alexander.
Volvo The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...
lent its support to the Henlys bid, which was raised to £247 million, but the Dennis board ultimately accepted Mayflower's £268.9 million offer. The next year Henlys announced they were planning to spend up to £100 million on acquisitions, the money intended to be spent on the acquisition of Dennis, in order to expand its bus building activities in the US. After discussions with several companies, Henlys purchased
Blue Bird The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous passerine birds in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. Bluebirds lay an ...
, the US school bus manufacturer, for £267 million. This prompted speculation that
Volvo The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...
might bid for Henlys. Henlys raised £111 million in a rights issue in order to fund the acquisition.


TransBus International

In August 2000, with continuing domestic sales difficulties, a joint venture was formed with Mayflower, now owners of the Dennis and Alexander brands. The joint venture, known as
TransBus International Alexander Dennis is a British bus manufacturing company based in Larbert, Scotland. The largest bus and coach manufacturer in the United Kingdom, with a 50% market share in 2019, it has manufacturing plants and partnerships in Canada, China, ...
, included only the United Kingdom bus manufacturing operations, including
Plaxton Plaxton is an English builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Eastfield, North Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton, it became a subsidiary of Alexander Dennis in May 2007. In 2019, the maker was acqui ...
and Northern Counties. Henlys held a 30 percent stake in the joint venture, which employed 3,300 employees at seven locations. The traditional brands of Alexander, Dennis and Plaxton were replaced by
TransBus International Alexander Dennis is a British bus manufacturing company based in Larbert, Scotland. The largest bus and coach manufacturer in the United Kingdom, with a 50% market share in 2019, it has manufacturing plants and partnerships in Canada, China, ...
. TransBus International went into administration on 31 March 2004. TransBus Plaxton (Henlys) was sold to its managers, Brian Davidson and Mike Keane with the support of a private equity group.TransBus Dennis and TransBus Alexander were bought by a consortium which included —in a private capacity— Brian Souter and Ann Gloag, shareholders of Stagecoach Group.(Mayflower chiefs 'may be liable for pension hole'. ''The Times'', Saturday, May 22, 2004; pg. 54; Issue 68082) The consortium named the combined business
Alexander Dennis Alexander Dennis is a British bus manufacturing company based in Larbert, Scotland. The largest bus and coach manufacturer in the United Kingdom, with a 50% market share in 2019, it has manufacturing plants and partnerships in Canada, China, ...
. Alexander Dennis rescued Plaxton in 2007.
Henlys hoped to preserve their North American operations which had strong order books. However, servicing debt had placed too heavy a burden on those businesses. The North American operations were restructured, including closure of the
Nova Bus Nova Bus is a Canadian transit bus manufacturer headquartered in Saint-Eustache, Quebec. Nova is owned by the Volvo Group. The company has roots in the General Motors Diesel Division, which opened in 1979. Nova Bus was established in 1993, by ...
factory in Roswell,
New Mexico New Mexico is a state in the Southwestern United States, Southwestern region of the United States. It is one of the Mountain States of the southern Rocky Mountains, sharing the Four Corners region with Utah, Colorado, and Arizona. It also ...
.


Liquidation

In May 2004 a new chairman, David James, was appointed to help rescue Henlys. In June 2004 it was announced that a restructuring of Henlys would leave the shares with little or no value, and that Henlys' problems were caused by paying too high a price for the
Blue Bird The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous passerine birds in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. Bluebirds lay an ...
business in 1999. Henlys' shares were delisted from the Stock Exchange."Parent of Bus-Maker Blue Bird Pulls Stock from London Exchange"
Knight Ridder/Tribune Business News Knight Ridder was an American media company, specializing in newspaper and Internet publishing. It was bought by McClatchy on June 27, 2006, allowing the latter to become the second largest newspaper publisher in the United States at the time, ...
, 17 June 2004, via
HighBeam Research HighBeam Research was a paid search engine and full text online archive owned by Gale, a subsidiary of Cengage, for thousands of newspapers, magazines, academic journals, newswires, trade magazines, and encyclopedias in English. It was headqua ...
. In October 2004 the
Blue Bird The bluebirds are a North American group of medium-sized, mostly insectivorous or omnivorous passerine birds in the genus ''Sialia'' of the thrush family (Turdidae). Bluebirds are one of the few thrush genera in the Americas. Bluebirds lay an ...
operations were restructured with
Volvo The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...
and creditor banks taking over the Henlys share.
Volvo The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...
also took over the Prevost and
Nova Bus Nova Bus is a Canadian transit bus manufacturer headquartered in Saint-Eustache, Quebec. Nova is owned by the Volvo Group. The company has roots in the General Motors Diesel Division, which opened in 1979. Nova Bus was established in 1993, by ...
operations. Henlys Group Limited was wound down over the course of 2004 and early 2005.


Notes


References

{{Reflist


See also

*
Plaxton Plaxton is an English builder of bus and coach vehicle bodies based in Eastfield, North Yorkshire, England. Founded in 1907 by Frederick William Plaxton, it became a subsidiary of Alexander Dennis in May 2007. In 2019, the maker was acqui ...
*
Northern Counties Motor & Engineering Company The Northern Counties Motor & Engineering Company was an English builder of bus and coach bodywork based in Wigan. History Northern Counties Motor & Engineering Company was founded in Wigan in 1919 by Henry Lewis. The Lewis family remained ...
*
Dennis Specialist Vehicles Dennis Specialist Vehicles was an English manufacturer of commercial vehicles based in Guildford, building buses, fire engines, lorries (trucks) and municipal vehicles such as dustcarts. All vehicles were made to order to the customer's require ...
* * Prévost Car *
TransBus International Alexander Dennis is a British bus manufacturing company based in Larbert, Scotland. The largest bus and coach manufacturer in the United Kingdom, with a 50% market share in 2019, it has manufacturing plants and partnerships in Canada, China, ...
*
Nova Bus Nova Bus is a Canadian transit bus manufacturer headquartered in Saint-Eustache, Quebec. Nova is owned by the Volvo Group. The company has roots in the General Motors Diesel Division, which opened in 1979. Nova Bus was established in 1993, by ...
Defunct bus manufacturers of the United Kingdom Defunct companies based in Yorkshire Retail companies established in 1917 Retail companies disestablished in 2005 Auto dealerships of the United Kingdom