TBF Thompson DAF Trucks
19 Michelin Road, Hydepark Industrial Estate, Mallusk, BT36 4PT
About TBF Thompson (Garvagh) Ltd
From the moment he joined the family grocery business at the age of 15, Thomas Bacon French Thompson showed a real entrepreneurial spirit. A few years later he purchased his first lorry and started a haulage business which progressed into used lorry sales and then he acquired the franchises from Leyland Allusion AEC and Scammell commercial vehicles.
In 1958 he turned his business into a limited company with the creation of TBF Thompson (Garvagh) Ltd. In 1961 the company held a show in Belfast at which £250,000 worth of vehicles were sold - a vast turnover for those days, comparable with £40 million today.
In 1985 TBF retired, however the company continued under the leadership of Andy Magowan, who had joined the company in 1969 as assistant accountant. He then became the accountant in 1971 and a director in 1974. The Leyland DAF dealership was acquired in 1995 with the purchase of GMS.
Since acquiring the DAF Trucks franchise, the commercial vehicle side of the business has gone from strength to strength. In May 2001 the premises at the DAF depot in Mallusk were extended and refurbished and 2004 saw the relocation of the Portadown depot to purpose built premises.
11-05-10
