In the next edition of our Bodyshop Spotlight series, we’re highlighting the award-winning team based at our Hampton site. The repair centre has had a fantastic first year, winning Best New Bodyshop at the Bodyshop Excellence Awards just a month ago and passing all BSI Kitemark audits. This ensures the site has the capability to deliver industry-leading standards.

To learn more about the Hampton site, we spoke with Eduard Leau, Bodyshop Manager. Eduard was hands-on throughout the entire process of bringing the site to life and is now leading the team towards continued success.

Interview with Eduard Leau, Bodyshop Manager

How was your experience of opening the Hampton Site and managing the team since the inception of the bodyshop?

“The whole process was really exciting. Before opening the Hampton site, I worked for another company where I had the opportunity to open two other bodyshops. My first experience was back in December 2017. At that time, the unit and equipment were already in place, so I didn’t have full control of the opening, but I did gain valuable exposure to the process.

Three years later, I went through this again, but with more involvement in equipment purchasing and team recruitment. When it came to opening Hampton, the Regional Manager, Ciprian Bucur, allowed me to take ownership and be closely involved once again.

It was a team effort between myself and colleagues across the business, including Marita Sullivan, the Business & Programme Manager, who was a huge asset throughout. With our combined experience, we transformed the unit from an empty, abandoned space into a fully functional and visually appealing bodyshop in just six weeks.

As I was still new to the company at the time, it was a real confidence boost. Being able to build my own team made the experience even more meaningful and confirmed that this is where I want to continue my career.”

What would you say makes Hampton an industry leading site?

“The equipment we have on-site is a huge contributing factor. Hampton was built with the goal of delivering the best-quality repairs, particularly within the commercial repair sector. We predicted a high volume of vans coming through the site, so I knew I wanted the right equipment to support this.

One of my top priorities was ensuring we had at least two five-tonne ramps capable of lifting large vans. These can accommodate both long and short wheelbase vehicles, even when fully loaded.

A couple other incredible things we can do here – we’re fully equipped to carry out ADAS calibration, and we have a double oven that’s four and a half metres high. This allows us to fit high-roof vans inside, meaning we can handle everything in-house.”

Could you tell us more about what makes Hampton unique?

“I think Hampton is unique in a way that you wouldn’t think. In my opinion the biggest thing is the work ethic of the team and nature of this site, everybody here truly cares about what they do, everyone really wants to do their best and make people’s bad days better.”

What certifications does Hampton have?

“We hold the BSI Kitemark certification and recently passed our audit. In fact, we’ve passed our last three audits without a single advisory, which was fantastic. The auditors were thoroughly impressed with our standards.

We also recently won Best New Bodyshop at the Night of Knights / Bodyshop Excellence Awards, which has really put us on the map.”

As you just mentioned, Hampton recently won the Best New Bodyshop award at the bodyshop excellence awards, what do you think made it stand out to the judges?

“Building the site from scratch and completing everything in-house, without external support, really worked in our favour. We achieved excellent customer satisfaction in our first year, and retaining the original team from the site opening has been a huge positive.

In just a year of the bodyshop being open we have showcased great productivity and progress, without falling victim to any major losses, plus we still strive to improve and get beytter every single day.”

What has it been like working for AAR and how does it differ from other places that you have worked?

“It’s been quite a change for me. I previously worked in smaller, family-run businesses, so moving into a corporate environment like Activate Accident Repair was challenging at first.

I quickly adapted to structured processes and working closely with colleagues across different departments. It’s been a challenging but very rewarding change and has played a big part in making me the professional I am today.”

Finally, as we enter the new year, can you tell me what 2026 has in store for Hampton?

“A new workflow is being rolled out across all Activate Accident Repair sites, and with the way Activate Group is expanding, we expect to see more workstreams coming through.

Although there may be challenges, we’re confident there will be plenty of successes too. Following the acquisition of Avant last year, it will be interesting to see how work develops from that side of the business.

The overall most important thing for us heading into this year is continuing to provide top-tier customer satisfaction. For us, 2026 will be a year of adaptation, progression and satisfaction, and we hope to make it out best year yet.”

Thankyou Eduard for sharing some insight on the operations and what the future holds for the Hampton site