Rygor Group, which includes Mercedes-Benz dealer Rygor Commercials and newly launched Rygor Maxus, has undergone a management buyout for an undisclosed sum.

The dealer group has been bought by John Keogh, who was previously Rygor’s sales director and Rish Channa, previously head of truck sales at Rygor.

As of Wednesday (November 9) Keogh became Rygor’s managing director, with Channa being named commercial director.

Keogh said: “As you can imagine, this is an extremely exciting time for us and the future of Rygor Group.

“We love the Rygor business and both Rish and I have been working within it for more than a decade. Being able to say that we are now joint owners of the company, is a really special moment for us.

“We have a fantastic team here at Rygor, an award-winning team, and our focus over the past few years has continued to centre on their progression, wellbeing and building a positive company culture.”  

Over the past year it has implemented a new appraisal process, an enhanced apprentice programme and a wellbeing programme.

Keogh added: “We will also be focusing on building a more sustainable and greener future for the business and working with brands on electric vehicles will be key to this.”

In June 2022, Rygor announced that it had started works on the build of a new, custom-designed dealership at the Worton Grange industrial park in Reading.

The brand-new Mercedes-Benz Truck and Van centre is due to open officially in the next few weeks.

Channa said: “It’s a big year for the Rygor business, and this investment demonstrates our commitment to continually investing in our facilities for the benefit of our customers and our incredible team.

“We know our team comes to work to feel valued and engaged and a fantastic working environment is a significant part of that.

“Our new Reading branch, which is conveniently located just a mile down the road from our existing Reading site, comprises nearly 44,000 sq. ft of space.”

Keogh and Channa will be joined on the Rygor Board, by group finance director Tim Smith (previously Rygor’s finance director) and aftersales director, Sean Joyce (previously Rygor’s service director).

Both Smith and Joyce became directors of Rygor at the beginning of 2021, having progressed through the Rygor business into these positions, and both have been integral in the success of the company over the past 18 months.

Throughout the MBO process, the following businesses were involved in advising Rygor’s former owner-directors: RWK Goodman, and Deloitte UK.