WH Hawkins first sale was on Saturday 25th March 1933 for a gallon of petrol for 1 shilling 7 ½ he also repaired all manner of motor vehicles & bicycles.
The business begins to develop, alongside repairs and petrol he was now selling cars, tractors, motorcycles and bicycles.
A move to larger premises saw Billy’s Son John joining in 1955. This was the heyday for British motorcycles industry and Hawkins are agents for Arial, BSA, Norton, Vincent, Scott and AJS brands.
The move away from two wheels to four the focus is on British car and light commercial vehicle brands. The main site is expanded and a new filling station is built at Terras, St Stephen.
Billy takes a step back and John takes over as Managing Director, his foresight sees a period of expansion beyond St Stephen to Hayle and the appointment of Peugeot, the company’s first foreign franchise and this marks a distinct turning point for the company.
Building on this momentum Hawkins expands further with additional car franchises and opening a new dealership in Blackwater, Truro.
John as the Managing Director passes the day to day running of the business to his two eldest sons James and Johnny who continue to grow the business steadily and astutely. Hawkins are appointed Citroen Dealers and a new third Peugeot dealership is opened at Penryn.
Hawkins Motors takes shape as a group with further expansion, Kia and Hyundai Dealerships at St Stephen, Hayle and Blackwater and Used Car Centre opens in St Austell. The first of many diversifications start with the manufacture of a Luxury Motor Yacht, Children’s motorised buggies and Motor Homes.
Hawkins Peugeot dealerships win a total of 14 Peugeot Gold Lion Awards for outstanding performance and customer service. A Museum is built at St Stephen celebrating the British Motorcycle Industry with many bikes having been sold new by Hawkins. New sites open including the Used Car Centre Launceston, Mitsubishi Dealership at Penryn and Vehicle Prep Centre, Central Parts Hub, Accident Repair Centre and Citroen Dealership at St Stephen. Diversification continues with Vehicle Equipment Limited (VEL) a specialist vehicle converter producing the Peugeot Expert Fistral Crew and 108 Van’s.
The start of the decade sees Hawkins Peugeot St Stephen win National Dealer Of The Year and an unprecedented 10th Gold Lion Award in a row, Hawkins total currently stands at 17! The Central Parts Hub expands to become the parts sole distributor in Cornwall for Stellantis (Peugeot, Citroen, Vauxhall, Fiat, Alfa Romeo and JEEP). Three more dealerships are opened with the MG and Nissan brands joining the group. Hawkins proudly celebrate their 50th Anniversary with Peugeot and 20+ with Kia & Hyundai.