Sparks Commercial Services began over 30 years ago and remains a family run business with a dedicated team at the heart. The team started with Michael and Julie Spark and has since grown into a successful business of over 100 employees with an unwavering commitment to provide excellent customer service.

Our Family

The foundations of the business are based on our family values and together as a team we manifest those beliefs every day in everything we do. We are honest, trustworthy and passionate, but just call us the Sparks!

Michael Spark

Director
Well respected in the industry, Michael is the face of the business.

Julie Spark

Director
The financial powerhouse behind the operation, keeping the cogs turning.

Tom Spark

Operations Manager
Works in all locations as required and multiple areas of the business, forms with Matt the next generation of Directorship in the business.

Matt Spark

Aftermarket Manager
Based at our head office, has now completed his Master Tech training and has put his skill and experience to good use in his new role.

Our History

The couple met in 1983 and had a shared vision of one day wanting to start their own business, they both held jobs in the Commercial Vehicle industry, prior to starting their own company. Michael worked as a commercial vehicle technician and Julie as a Truck Rental sales executive in the field covering Hampshire and Dorset.

Scroll through the timeline

1990

    Setting up Shop

  • The company was born and the journey began on the 1st of April 1990, with a 307 Mercedes Sprinter service van, working from the back of the van they were off, after a few months in the trade, their private customer base became substantial and Michael and Julie were ready to expand and convert their passion into a one-stop-shop for Commercial Vehicle Servicing. They rented their first workshop in Newbridge and had an additional two staff employed before the end of the first year trading.

1991

    Building a Reputation

  • To ensure Sparks gained a good reputation, Michael worked and was on call 24/7, never saying no to any job, at any hour, on any day, completing everything available. Outside of her full-time job, Julie worked tirelessly to manage the accounts, chase debts and market the business. Hard work began to pay off and further additional staff were hired.

1992

    All hands on Deck

  • Sparks continued to expand with an increased workload for everyone. Julie decided to leave her full-time job and take on all the administration, accounting and marketing responsibilities. The workshop became overloaded, so the business moved to a new site in Rushington Business Park, Nursling.

1995

    Looking to the Future

  • Growth continued and Sparks moved again to a larger workshop and yard area, this time in Nursling industrial Estate. Looking into the future, Michael and Julie knew they needed a specialised workshop to accommodate their business growth strategy. The perfect site was found at Hounsdown Business Park in Totton, and negotiations began on a green field site.

1996

    The 24 hour Shifts

  • The workload continued to increase and there was a growing pressure to service more vehicles, but delays at the Hounsdown site demanded an alternative solution. The 24 hours shifts at Nursling began, effectively adding 30% capacity to their already busy workshop.

2000

    A New 1.5 Acre Site

  • The Hounsdown site was finally progressing and in March 2000, Sparks Commercial Services signed on the dotted line for the new 1.5 acre site. It was a huge investment and a massive risk, but with their business strategy in place, Michael and Julie had confidence in their plan. They began later that autumn with all the building plans drawn and approved, the first construction work began on their very own workshop.

2001

    Open for Business

  • In October they received the keys for their new workshop and office suite. A purpose built 5 BAY workshop designed with two full length service pits that could accommodate a fully loaded car transporter. Additionally, a steam cleaning bay and driver waiting room were installed. The new Sparks workshop was open for business.

2003

    Word on the Street

  • The Sparks reputation spread across the South region, and so did their customer base. Michael and Julie's passion to grow and expand led them to look at a number of new potential business opportunities, so they began exploring various sites.

2004

    The Next Step

  • Sparks took over a failed previous commercial vehicle workshop in Portsmouth with 11 bays and 48 more staff, and set about rebuilding it from the ground up. They put in all the systems and processes they had learned from the years of running the Southampton company and set about retaining and building the customer base for this new location. In 2007 they purchased the tooling and assets from another provider and moved into the Portsmouth location to become the Renault Trucks service agent.

2008

    A Broadened Offering

  • With an ever-growing customer base and increased demand, the Hounsdown site required a 6th bay extension. Sparks continued to invest in the business, and at the end of 2008, they purchased the asset and tooling of RTC in Marchwood and moved this into their Southampton location where they then became a Renault Trucks distributor. Sparks now could start a new journey of selling new and used vehicles for Renault Trucks.

2010

    Introducing Tom and Matt

  • The eldest son, Tom, started his journey at Sparks as an apprentice HGV technician. The following year, Matt the youngest son also showed a keen interest in the trade so began work at Sparks in the summer of 2011 and shortly joined the apprenticeship scheme.

2012

    Setting up in Poole

  • In December 2012, Michael and Julie opened a Depot in Poole. This move was a further business strategy to help Sparks grow their footprint along the South Coast. In 2015 Poole depot won is first dealer award in the form of coming 3rd for Aftermarket Dealer of the year for Renault UK, which was a fantastic achievement to the location and their team of staff.

2014

    Sparks opens ATF lane

  • VOSA approved Authorised Testing Facility at their Portsmouth Depot. This addition enabled Sparks to respond to customer demands and offer a broader service. This increased our customer support for MOT testing as the site already undertakes class 4, 5 and 7 daily MOT’s.

2015

    A State of the Art Facility

  • In July 2015, Sparks Commercials Swindon, the newest branch was acquired. The 2.5-acre site provides state of the art facility for commercial servicing and repair for a wide range of vehicle types. Used Truck supercentre was then based on this site. The following year, Sparks won the tender for the Iceland VMU in Swindon. Meaning the company now occupied 5 depots, with a total of 29 service bays and 144 passionate employees.

2016

    Award Winning

  • Sparks Commercial Services entered their very first Commercial Motor Awards and were lucky enough to be one of the nominees. We attended the award ceremony in high spirits, and as the evening awards were announced, we were beyond elated to have been awarded Aftersales, Workshop and Maintenance Provider of the year 2016. Michael and Matt went to receive the award and it was by far one of our biggest achievements. In February of the following year, Sparks Commercial Services were awarded 1st place for Poole Depot and 2nd place for Portsmouth Aftersales Dealer of the year 2016. In February Renault Dealer Conference in 2019, we were awarded Service market Dealer of the year for Southampton Depot for 2018, a huge accolade within the industry and the ultimate testament of success.

2020

    Birthday Cake all Round

  • We were very proud to be celebrating our 30th Birthday! It’s been an incredible journey with an unprecedented amount of growth, which by no means is showing any signs of stopping. We would like to attribute the success of Sparks to having an incredible team of dedicated and passionate employees. Without their ongoing concerted efforts, further growth would not be possible.

2021

    Smooth Moves in Poole

  • Improving our service offering in Poole with the acquisition of a much larger service yard and workshop. We've moved to Cabot Lane Industrial estate into a bigger workshop to accommodate our growing list of clients.

2022

    Hello Exeter

  • In April 2022, Sparks Commercial Services expanded its reach and customer base and revealed that a new Exeter depot will be joining the family. Previously a Renault Trucks Commercials site, the depot boasts a comprehensive workshop facility and a wide range of services including breakdown cover and a tacograph centre. The new Exeter depot enables the Group to support and service the trucking industry in Devon and the surrounding areas.

"Delivering high quality services to our customers by creating an environment in which our employees are motivated to work as one team utilising their full potential."