About Us

A brief History

The Donnelly name has been synonymous with the motor trade in Northern Ireland for over 60 years, since1947 in fact, when Peter Donnelly started his vehicle repair and taxi business in Caledon on the border of Co Tyrone and Armagh.

Ethos

And despite the social, political, cultural and economic changes in this time, the company has remained faithful to the business ethos instilled by the founder – ‘Keeping the customer central to everything we do’.

Humble Beginnings

What started off as a family business has grown into one of the largest independently owned automotive companies in the Northern Ireland, with a turnover of £210 million and a workforce in excess of 530 people.

Continued Growth

Our growth has been steady but strategic – from 1 franchise in Caledon in 1947 to the present day where The Donnelly Group works in partnership with 15 manufacturers from 28 showrooms across 7 locations, selling over 15,000 vehicles a year.

Location Location Location

The location of our showrooms is not coincidental. The Donnelly Group is truly unique in Northern Ireland, giving complete coverage of Northern Ireland, providing sales and servicing points from Dungannon to Eglinton, Enniskillen, Ballymena, and Belfast and making sure that we can respond to the needs of our customers quicker and with more convenience than anyone else.

The Donnelly Group has grown by focusing on detail – the small things that can make the biggest difference. Those little touches that delight customers and keep them coming back year after year and generation after generation. Good Service, Value and Respect for the customer are as relevant now as they were then.

Building on Relationships

Over the years we have built up genuinely meaningful business relationships with global brands – some of whom we now work with exclusively across Northern Ireland.

Our network provides a support infrastructure for both Public and Private sector across Northern Ireland and we are proud to supply vehicle fleets to many small and medium sized enterprises across a diverse range of business sectors.

We work with many of the frontline services – organisations who rely on our 24/7 365 call out capability. Sometimes keeping their vehicles on the road is very much a matter of life and death and it is our geographical spread which puts the Donnelly Group in the driving seat when it comes providing that critical technical backup.

Recent additions to the Donnelly Group

We are also very proud of our own Motorstore brand – a relatively recent addition to our portfolio and one that focuses exclusively on quality used vehicles, giving our customers the value, quality and service that they deserve.

As the company grows, we have managed to retain that entrepreneurial spirit, typified by the creation of TBC. Established in 2006, TBC – Taxi and Bus Conversions is a name now associated with quality and attention to detail in the conversion of wheelchair accessible vehicles, taxis and mini-buses. A company that has grown over the last few years to lead the market and the first to gain European Type Approval for the VW Caddy Maxi Life.

Our Approach

Ours is not a prescriptive approach – our conversion business is all about understanding the diverse needs of our customers and providing solutions – by keeping the customer central to everything we do, we add value and comfort to peoples lives.

Our People

The heart of our business is our people – we know if we get our people right our business will flourish. That’s why we continually invest in them, at all levels - from apprentices to directors.

Corporate Social Responsibility

As a major employer in Northern Ireland we acknowledge the responsibility we have to those communities within which we serve. We are actively involved in sport. We have a longstanding relationship with soccer at local and national levels. We are heavily involved in local and regional Rugby and support GAA at club and county level.

And our corporate responsibility extends beyond our business footprint. We have been proud to support fundraising projects with Action MS Ireland, the Special Olympics and the gathering For Africa initiative, where we helped coordinate an event bringing church leaders, sports stars and key businessmen together to raise funds to deliver 50 off-road vehicles to missionaries in East Africa. An effort recognised at the highest level.

We are aware of our corporate responsibility towards the environment and we are keen supporters of greener, cleaner motoring technology and are working with our brand partners to help deliver Electric vehicles across Northern Ireland.

Summary

63 years ago, Peter Donnelly had a vision for his company that has stood the test of time. Keeping the customer central to everything has helped position the Donnelly group as one of the most progressive motoring companies in the UK – taking it from the small village of Caledon to a growing network of manufacturer partners in across Northern Ireland.