Ichiban 2019: The best Toyota Retailers rewarded for their continuing commitment to customer satisfaction
- 45 Winning retailers from across Europe gather on the side of Lake Geneva
- Paralympian, Tyrone Pillay, congratulates the winners
Evian, France - Ichiban in Japanese means ‘Number One’. The Toyota Ichiban award is exclusively reserved for retailers across Europe who excel in terms of customer service.
The 2019 Ichiban Best Retailer Awards were held by Lake Geneva, gathering the 45 retailers that demonstrate what it takes to be the ‘Best Retailer in Town’.
During the ceremony President and CEO of Toyota Motor Europe, Dr Johan van Zyl, recognised all retailers assembled for their outstanding achievement. He stressed the importance of listening to the customer’s voice and creating a personalised experience for every customer who connects with our brand.
The customer is at the centre of all our key business decisions. Everyone gathered here today has demonstrated throughout Europe that ensuring complete customer satisfaction is pivotal in our daily activities
Guest of honour at the 2019 Ichiban Awards was Toyota’s very own South African Paralympian, Tyrone Pillay. Taking a break from his 2020 Tokyo games training and job at Toyota South Africa to meet the retailers. Tyrone was inspired by their commitment, commenting,
You are Europe’s gold medallists of the retail word
Over 2,500 European Retailers compete for the honour to be one of 45 Ichiban winners each year, demonstrating a unique approach and a commitment to a Customer First mind set.
| Country | Company | Winning Owner |
| Azerbaijan | TOYOTA ABSHERON CENTER | Mr Jamil Mammadov |
| Belgium | Garage Boone | Mr Roland Boone |
| Bosnia and Herzegovina | SLADABONI d.o.o. | Mr Slavko Jotanović |
| Bulgaria | Kale Auto | Mr Kaloyan Ganev |
| Croatia | Integra Dundović d.o.o. | Mr Hrvoje Dundović |
| Czech Republic | T-MOTOR Zlín | Mr Jiří Hanák |
| Denmark | Louis Lund A/S | Mr Louis Lund |
| Estonia | Elke Mustamäe AS | Mr Ando Rahu |
| Finland | Järvenpään Auto-Arita Oy | Mr Tomi Orava |
| France | Espace Automobile Charentais | Mr Benoît Allais |
| France | Auto-Sélection Pau | Mr Laurent Guiboux |
| France | Espace Toy Cahors | Mr Jean Rodrigues |
| Germany | Autowelt GmbH Niederlassung Kaiserslautern | Mr Thorsten Voigt |
| Germany | Maurer GmbH & Co. KG | Mrs Angela Maurer |
| Germany | Szabo GmbH | Mr Timo Szabo |
| Greece | PASPALIARIS | Mr Antonios Paspaliaris |
| Hungary | Koto Autóház | Mr László Tóth |
| Ireland | O'Callaghan Motors | Mr Con O'Keeffe |
| Israel | S.O.S Toyota Hadera. | Mrs Bat-chen Preter Galili |
| Italy | Zerocento S.p.A. | Mr Andrea Cresci |
| Italy | Fuji Auto s.r.l. | Mr Enzo Mattiauda |
| Italy | Oliviero s.r.l. | Mrs Margherita Oliviero |
| Kazakhstan | Toyota City Astana | Mr Artyom Berezhnoy |
| Latvia | WESS Motors Berģi | Mr Aleksejs Radionovs |
| Lithuania | Mototoja | Mr Edmundas Povilauskas |
| Netherlands | Van Gent Autobedrijf | Mr Jacco van Gent |
| Norway | Bøgh Hafsø Bilforretning AS | Mr Jørgen Larshus |
| Poland | TOYOTA Jacek Knedler | Mr Jacek Knedler |
| Portugal | Caetano Auto Minho | Mr Ricardo Pimenta |
| Romania | Toyota Baia Mare | Mr Emil Tarau |
| Russian Federation | TC Vologda | Mr Ilya Pimenov |
| Russian Federation | TC Togliatti | Mr Pavel Kunitsin |
| Russian Federation | TC Astrakhan | Mr Aleksander Kurylin |
| Serbia | TAGO CAR | Mrs Sanja Blecic |
| Slovakia | AUTOKLUB | Mr Peter Maňák |
| Slovenia | AH Furman d.o.o. | Mr Boštjan Furman |
| Spain | AURA MOTOR | Mr Jordi Teixidor Reixach |
| Spain | COMAUTO SUR | Mr Nemesio Matías Corral |
| Spain | GAMBOA ECOAUTO | Mr Carlos Gamboa |
| Sweden | Börje Johansson Bil ab åkersberga | Mr Nicklas Widing |
| Turkey | TOYOTA PLAZA BAKIRCILAR ANTALYA | Mr Esat Bakirci |
| Ukraine | Toyota Lviv Diamant | Mr Pavlo Volkov |
| United Kingdom | Helensburgh Toyota | Mr Gary Mulvaney |
| United Kingdom | Oakmere Toyota | Mr Jonathan Jarratt |
| United Kingdom | Harry Feeney Toyota | Mr Andrew Harrison |