A son is hoping to build on his father's success as he takes the wheel of the family motor dealership.

Martin Turnbull takes over control of Turnbulls Mazda in Layerthorpe, York, from his father, Peter, who founded the company in 1966.

"Obviously I'm very pleased and looking forward to it," said the new managing director. "But I'm a little bit nervous.

"I'm keeping the business going as it is going. We have got good customer retention figures which is really down to the after-sales service. It is all about customers. I think the future is very bright."

Martin Turnbull joined the company straight from school as a teenage apprentice about 15 years ago and has worked his way up. He trained and worked as a technician and spent 12 years working on after-sales service. He also has sales experience.

Turnbulls Mazda started when Peter Turnbull bought land from a furniture company and expanded on to the site of the former John Bull pub, also owned by Mr Turnbull. The dealership has sponsored a local snooker competition.

Updated: 14:51 Thursday, April 26, 2001