An independent, family-owned Fenland company has shared its story as it celebrates its 65th year in business and its 45th as a Nissan dealership.

The team at JS Holmes, in Wisbech St Mary, say they have seen many changes in the automotive landscape over the years.

The business first started in 1955 when John S Holmes purchased the village garage. In those days, he made a living by repairing cars and lorries as well as delivering paraffin to local residents.

After a spell representing the Austin franchise, Mr Holmes began selling Datsun cars in 1975 – Datsun was the brand name Nissan used for vehicles it exported at the time.

The Datsun name was phased out in the mid-80s with Mr Holmes continuing his relationship with the company by becoming a Nissan dealer.

In the early 1990s, the JS Holmes premises was revamped to “cope with demand”.

Then, in 2013, the company’s founder died, with the family’s next generation taking the reins since.

The current dealer principal is John’s youngest son, Martin, who has overall responsibility for running the business, including the service, bodyshop and recovery departments.

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Martin’s son Alex, who is the dealership’s sales director, said: “2020 is a landmark year for JS Holmes. We are celebrating 65 years in business and 45 as a Nissan dealer.

“We are particularly proud of the fact that we have remained an independent, family-owned company throughout all that time and that’s still the case today.”

“After our closure due to the coronavirus pandemic, we are now back up and running and looking forward to meeting customers old and new.”

“Having completed 45 years as a Nissan dealer, we are looking forward to another landmark in 2025 when we celebrate our 50th anniversary.”