History of Hoyles of Todmorden, Lancashire (or West Yorkshire!)
Hoyles of Todmorden is a family owned business based in Todmorden, Lancashire or West Yorkshire depending on who you ask!
Hoyles Coach & Transport Services was founded in 1969 by Dennis & Shirley Hoyle originally as a haulage & transportation company. However in the 1970's Dennis noticed a gap in the market for used light commercial vehicles at competitive prices- Hoyles of Todmorden was born.
Dennis built strong business links over the years with many different companies and organisations including BT. Commercial vehicles started to be sold all over the UK from London to Scotland often in fleets!
In the early 1990's Shirley retired from her role at Hoyles & Beverley their daughter joined the family business where she developed the company with her strong business acumen, her love of customer service & accounts!
In 2002 Louisa (Louie), Dennis' Granddaughter & Bev's eldest Daughter joined this flourishing family business. With Louie's love of sales, providing the best deals & delivering excellent service - Hoyles has gone from strength to strength.
Suddenly in 2006 Dennis very sadly passed away leaving his legacy behind. Bev & Louie worked extremely hard to push Hoyles forward into what it is today. Hoyles now offer many other services to their customers including wefindanyvan.com
Hoyles was transformed into a fully approved MOT testing facility, service centre and EV specialist as well as selling commercial vehicles, cars and 4 x 4's - Hoyles are the one stop shop for all your motoring needs!
The Mother and Daughter team offer a not so scary approach to motoring and are reliable, friendly and you are welcome regardless of what motor you drive whether you have a little city Car, a Van or a prestigious 4 x 4 - Hoyles is the place for you!
Dennis & Shirley Hoyle founded Hoyles of Todmorden in the 1960’s however it took a lot of hard work and determination to get there. Here we would like to share with you the story of Hoyles and where it began to where it is today.
Dennis & Shirley started out as most young couples, meeting in their teens, madly in love and the world at their feet despite it being in the 1950’s. They both came from humble backgrounds, Shirley was born at Salley Street, Calderbrook, Littleborough – born to Annie & Albert Brooks in 1938 and the eldest of 6 children.
Dennis was born at Knotts Road Todmorden in 1935 to May & Dennis, he was the youngest of 4 children.
Dennis and Shirley began their courtship in the 1950’s and whilst Dennis completed his National Service in the RAF he was stationed in Cornwall. They were married in 1956 at Calderbrook - all they had was a £5 note -they took a trip to Halifax on the train to the cinema and ate fish and chips and celebrated with a bottle of milk. In October 1956 their daughter Beverley was born, and two years later Dennis junior came along. At this time Dennis had an ice cream bike, he then went onto build Hoyles Coach and Transport Services and alongside
that Hoyles Taxis which was a real family affair with everyone helping – kids included!
Hoyles moved onto their current site in 1988 purchased from British Rail – At this time Hoyles was still a haulage firm until around the early 90’s Dennis was approached by British Telecom to sell their commercial fleet vehicles. This was a great move for the company, they supplied vehicles to people and companies up and down the country. Again, it was a true family affair, Dennis junior work in the garage, Dennis senior was doing the buying and selling and Shirley worked in the office. The business continued to grow, in the late 90’s Beverley joined the business as company secretary and again the business flourished further. In the 00’s Louisa (or Louie as she is known) joined the firm and has been an intergral part in the growth of the company. Shirley retired but still made them all delicious lunches and breakfasts on the weekends from their house across the yard.
Sadly, and very unexpectedly Dennis passed away in August 2006, just short of his 71st Birthday. The family were devastated but they had to continue to run the family business. They closed for a day out of respect for Dennis, but they knew that Dennis being the businessman that he was (open 7 days a week and lived onsite) would say open the shutters and let’s carry on. Carry on they did, the business was further developed by Bev & Louie, and they began doing car servicing in West Yorkshire & Lancashire as well as MOTs & testing – you name it Hoyles could do it! They became a one stop shop for all things vehicles. They began buying and selling used cars as well as commercials to people up and down the country and have built a solid reputation with many of the top suppliers, customers and businesses alike!
Further development of the business and an expansion of the staff including Alex (Bev’s other daughter and Louie’s sister) in 2017, investment in new equipment and an office refurbishment put Hoyles as the place to go for all things motors! Being owned and ran by women and offering a not so scary approach to motoring has helped spread the word about Hoyles especially as some females may feel intimidated coming into a garage which once upon a time used to be a heavily male dominated industry.
In 2023 Bev semi-retired although she tends to pop in everyday and you'll often see her doing a shift or 2 a couple of times a week. Very sadly Shirley passed away in December 2023 this devastated the family once again, the end of an era. The family took comfort knowing that Dennis & Shirley would be together once again.
2024 saw more investment into the business, equipment, brand new flooring, company rebrand, new website and excitingly a brand-new roof is planned for the Autumn and lots more to come…. this is just the beginning! Hoyles has been many things over the years, evolving and developing with the needs of the customers, the economy and technology but one things for sure Hoyles will always be a family business serving the local community and beyond.=
We can't wait to hear from you.
Bev, Louie & all of the team here at Hoyles of Todmorden.