Henlys Group

Henlys Group PLC was a car dealer that became a major player in the bus and coach business in both North America and England.

Henlys was founded as a Jaguar and Rover dealer by Herbert Gerald Henley in 1947. Its former premises gave their name to Henlys Corner, the junction of the North Circular Road, A1 and Finchley Road in Hampstead Garden Suburb. It also gave the name to Henlys Roundabout at the start of the A30 ( at the A4 ) at Hounslow West / Cranford.

In 1985 Henlys was bought by the Lord Ashcroft backed Hawley Goodall, owners of Coleman Milne, the makers of funeral hearses. The bid was made via a Canadian-based company part-owned by David Wickins of British Car Auctions. On completion of the takeover, Hawley Goodall formed a Motoring Division comprising Henlys and Coleman Milne. In 1989, Hawley Goodall sold its Motoring Division consisting of Henlys and Coleman Milne to the Plaxton Group, the bus and coach manufacturer based in Scarborough, North Yorkshire. In May 1992, the Plaxton Group PLC was renamed as Henlys Group PLC. Coleman Milne was sold to a management buy-out in late 1992.

Henlys pursued a strategy of diversification and expansion through the 1990s. The established bus bodybuilder Northern Counties was bought in 1995 for £10 million. The UK bus and coach manufacturing business, trading under the Plaxton brand, continued to produce a range of bus and coach bodywork. It also owned one of the largest UK coach dealers, Kirkby, and provided after-sales services to coach and bus operators.

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