Gavin Masterton Retires, Nearly

Maywood Equipment Group has announced that Gavin Masterton has retired from day to day responsibilities for the group, but will continue in a consultative position. This means, while he leaves the sales side of the business in the capable hands of Sales Managers Carlo Aloroni and John Baron, he will continue in his role as the groups, publicity and advertising coordinator.

Gavin Masterton has worked in the Automotive industry all his working life, having started as an apprentice with Smiths Industries when they were famous for dashboard instruments, Bluecol, antifreeze and KLG spark plugs. He then spent 10 years with the Brown Brothers as a salesman, Branch Manager and Branch Sales Director before returning to Smiths Industries to become a director for the companies that Smiths had purchased including Affiliated Factors and Godfrey Holmes. During that period he also became managing director of Long Life Accessories, a chain of 100 retail motor accessory shops before that business was sold to Motorist Discount Centres in 1982.

He then became Operations Director for GKN Autoparts who had by then bought Affiliated Factors and Godfrey Holmes with a special responsibility for garage equipment. Whilst at GKN Masterton became president of The Garage Equipment Association in 1986 and later Budget Secretary. It was under his leadership that The GEA separated from The SMMT and became an independent trading association. In 1987 Gavin was “headhunted” for the position of managing director of Hofmann Balancing Techniques, a position he held for 15 years.

He retired from Hofmann a few years after The Snap-on takeover of Hofmann and has been a director of Maywood Group since then. Maywood were appointed sole importers of Hofmann lifts in 2004.

Trevor Homewood, Managing Director of Maywood commented “Gavin’s contribution to our company has been enormous and I am so glad I have persuaded him to stay on in a consultative role and to look after our press and editorial activity. I can also use his vast experience and knowledge whenever we need it. It was Gavin who originally appointed Maywood Group as Hofmann’s main sub-contractor back in 1990 and was a key figure in obtaining the exclusive Hofmann franchise for us. Gavin has been extremely popular with our National distributors and I am so pleased we will still have him on board albeit in a reduced capacity.”