When Gibson Funeral Services took delivery of two NEW Pilato hearses and three Pilato limousines in pre-pandemic 2020, they became the proud owners of the very first PilatoMercedes fleet in the UK. Two years on, as Covid-19 restrictions ease, Gibsons have expanded their stunning fleet further with an additional Lyra limousine and a high spec Vito removal vehicle from long term suppliers Superior UK Automotive Ltd.
Gibson Funeral Services, in County Durham, was first established by Joseph Gibson in the 1850s – Matthew Gibson and his sister Victoria are now the sixth generation of the Gibson family to run the award-winning firm.
Matthew Gibson explains the impact Covid-19 had on his decision to expand the fleet further. “We are very proud of our Pilato vehicles, they are beautifully designed and well built,” said Matthew “during the pandemic, restrictions meant that we couldn’t use the limousines to their full potential and capacity. Now restrictions have eased, we have seen a notable uptake in use of limousines from our customers” he added, “this increased demand was the deciding factor on our purchase of an additional Pilato limousine”.
The new Vito makes a change for Gibsons who had previously used only estate car removal vehicles. “We’re moving away from estates as Covid-19 highlighted the issue of there being no separation within the cabin,” said Matthew “I think separation within the cabin is likely to become a health and safety requirement at some point”.
When Matthew contacted Greg Platt at Superior, a Vito had been in mind for a while. “We wanted the same sleek Selenite grey colour to match the rest of our fleet and the decking systems we had seen from Superior looked spot on,” said Matthew “we are very happy with it, it looks great and the bespoke deck functionality is fantastic, especially when using it to full capacity”
As Matthew and Victoria steer the business forward with a balance of tradition and innovation, the customer is at the very heart of every business decision. Matthew commented, “We strive for perfection and ensure we maintain the highest of standards; customers expect only the very best nowadays – and rightly so”