Mercedes-Benz Dealer Marshall Truck & Van has announced Daniel Stone’s promotion to head of Mercedes-Benz commercial vehicles

Stone (pictured) joined the Group in 2014, to run Mercedes-Benz car dealerships in Chichester and Winchester as general manager. He spent the previous 16 years of his career working in a variety of sales roles for two other automotive groups.

The promotion marks his first real venture into the world of trucks and vans. Stone said: “That’s one of the reasons I jumped at this opportunity.

"I was looking for a new challenge, and the idea of broadening my horizons by working in a completely different sector is tremendously exciting.

“Best of all, I’ve been able to achieve this change of career tack without having to leave the Marshall Group, and while keeping a Mercedes-Benz star above the door.

“We already perform strongly within the fleet van segment, but given the strength and appeal of our product range there’s definitely potential to grow our business with small- and medium-sized enterprises.

“I also understand the importance of relationships within the truck and fleet van sectors, so am looking forward to meeting as many of our customers as possible over the weeks and months to come.”

Stone’s promotion coincides with the beginning of construction work on a new, £4 million dealership in Southampton.

The development is taking place on the two-acre Nursling Industrial Estate, and offers scope for much-needed workshop expansion. The new facility is scheduled to open in October.

Meanwhile, the dealer is also preparing to retail vans from Marshall’s Mercedes-Benz of Portsmouth passenger car outlet on the Portsmouth Motor Park.

Under this plan, a section of the showroom is to be set aside for up to three vans, with a further 15-20 Approved Used examples being displayed outside.