A LONG-established commercial vehicle business with more than 300 staff has been sold.

Southampton-headquartered Adams Morey has been bought by the West Midlands-based Greenhous Group but will continue under its original name.

The new owner is on the Sunday Times Fast Track list of the top 100 independent businesses.

Derek Passant, chief executive of Greenhous Group, paid tribute to the Hampshire business’s management, including chairman Mike Adams.

He said: “Mike Adams has developed a wonderful independent business over the past 40 years which has rightly earned a great deal of respect from its customers for the level of customer service it has delivered.

“The Greenhous Group will continue to operate Adams Morey under that name representing the DAF franchise and will uphold those levels of customer service at all of its eight sites.

“I welcome the 300-plus staff of Adams Morey to our company and look forward to further prosperity for Adams Morey. There is already a great synergy between Greenhouse Commercials and Adams Morey. Both are independent and both operate to similar customer basis with the same customer-focused values. It will be very much business as usual at Adams Morey.”

Founded in 1952, Adams Morey started selling trucks in 1973 when DAF first came into the UK market.

Today, it turns over more than £80million a year and has DAF and Fiat sales and after-sales franchises, as well as being a recognised Ford parts and service dealer. As well as its DAF dealership at Redgridge and a van centre at Millbrook, it has sites in Bournemouth, Basingstoke, Eastleigh, Newport on the Isle of Wight, Portsmouth and Salisbury.

Mike Adams said: “When I had to face the terrible responsibility of finding someone to continue our business, it was vital that the interests of the stakeholders in Adams Morey – the staff and the customers – would be the prime consideration.

“I have been fortunate to work with the best people in the business and we have bene able to support transport operations that are key to local economies as well as those that operate nationally and internationally.

“In return, our customers have given us a loyalty that is truly remarkable.

“From my first meeting with Derek Passant, I felt that Greenhous share the same values and create the same culture of commitment and care as we do. They will bring new ideas and energy, particularly in the light commercial business, and widen the support that is available to our DAF Trucks customers.

“It has been my great privilege to have an industry legend – Mike Fennell – as a friend and colleague for over 40 years and important, as our management director for the past 11 years. Mike has set standards of customer service that are industry leading and I sincerely thank him for all that he means to Adams Morey.”

Mr Fennell said: “Having spent nearly 46 years working in Adams Morey, it was so important for me once I had decided to retire, to find someone to take Adams Morey forward, so for me Greenhous was the perfect match to ensure that our business would continue doing what we have done since we started and that is to look after all our people and all of our customers.”

Kevin Swinnerton is Adams Morey’s new managing director.

He said: “Adams Morey has a deserved reputation as the leading commercial business in the area. We have a tremendous opportunity to grow further, bringing our strong business values and service delivery to match the demands and high expectations of our customers.”