Check out your Company Bowl for anonymous work chats.
Last year, our theme was A Better Way. Not easier. Better. Store by store. Market by market. This year at our annual GM Conference, we raised the bar again with our 2026 theme, Beyond Better, and the point is simple: Better is no longer the goal. Better is the baseline. “Beyond Better” is what happens when a leadership team stops asking “How do we improve?” and starts asking: - Beyond expectations: "What would surprise our customers in the best way?" - Beyond limits: "Where are we playing small because it feels familiar?" - Beyond anyone’s definition of what’s possible: "What would it look like if we went all in together?" That mindset matters, because the work is real and the scale is real. So “Beyond Better” is not a slogan. It is a standard. It shows up in the unglamorous places: - how we lead morning meetings; - how we coach performance; - how we improve consistency; - how we deliver more confidence, more convenience, more value for customers.
Last month, we hosted our annual engagement survey, where colleagues from across the UK and US had the opportunity to share anonymous feedback about Group 1. From work culture, to leadership, to benefits – we asked for open and honest feedback about what our people think of our company, and changes that they want to see. Our people are our most important asset – the driving force behind Group 1 – so their feedback is crucial in our future growth and success as a company. This year, we reached an impressive 72.7% completion rate which we are very proud of. This feedback is reviewed by our leadership teams and then implemented into our future planning within stores and departments.
It was recently Learning at Work Week at Group 1 Auto, and we spent it connecting with our colleagues, focusing on a different subject each day to support them with growth and development: ⭐ Meet the team Monday - was spend introducing our fabulous L&D team. ⭐ Talent Tuesday - across our business, colleagues are building careers, unlocking potential, and shaping their futures through learning, so throughout the day, we shone a spotlight on some of our colleagues' incredible learning stories. ⭐ Wellbeing Wednesday - as it was also Mental Health Awareness Week we demonstrated how self-awareness plays a key role in learning at work, emotional resilience, and building stronger, more supportive teams. ⭐ Thriving Thursday - was a takeover from our Executive team who shared their insights on thriving at work through learning, reflection, and growth. ⭐ Feedback Friday - saw us support colleagues with tips on giving effective feedback, whether through one-on-one conversations, peer reflections, or manager reviews. The learning doesn't stop there! We continually encourage our colleagues to own their development and learning journey, as well as share their feedback so we can build learning experiences that truly matter.
As part of our #InternationalWomensDay celebrations over the last two weeks, we've been championing our female colleagues and allies accelerating action. We've shone the spotlight on our female leaders sharing their stories and strategies for success, encouraged colleagues to nominate their peers for being an advocate of women in the workplace, and expanded our period positive workplace scheme across our whole UK network to ensure all our colleagues and customers have access to complimentary sanitary products. This is just the start of our commitment to women here at Group 1, and we look forward to building on our momentum!
Last week, we marked #NationalApprenticeshipWeek by celebrating our past and present apprentices! 🙌 At Group 1 Automotive UK, 1 in 14 of our colleagues are apprentices working in a variety of roles in Aftersales, Retail Support and Sales. Apprenticeships provide the opportunity to earn whilst you learn and gain #SkillsForLife. If you're interested in finding out more about our apprenticeship opportunities you can contact us at EarlyCareers@group1auto.com.
