John Hughes’s car business marked 50 years in 2019, according to a PerthNow profile published on 17 February that year. Hughes was then 83, still working at the Victoria Park location where the business began, and had no intention of retiring. Later reporting put the family company’s story in a new frame: in 2024 it was strengthening governance and planning a succession.
How did John Hughes start his car business?
Hughes began his own business in 1969, according to the episode synopsis for Finding the Front, published by Euroz Hartleys on 4 June 2025. PerthNow’s 2019 anniversary profile described him starting from a vacant service-station site in Victoria Park. The 50-year milestone was the profile’s anniversary framing; it should not be read as an independently audited incorporation date.
A 2013 profile in The West Australian traces a later stage of the business: Hughes established Paramotors, took over the Skipper Bailey Motor Company in Victoria Park in 1980, and the business changed its name to John Hughes in 2005. These are distinct milestones in the company’s history, rather than a single founding event.
Who is Margarita Hughes?
PerthNow reported in 2019 that Hughes met Margarita when she was a 23-year-old air hostess. The article described them as having been married for 38 years at that time. Margarita also featured in the article’s portrait of their partnership: “Behind very successful man is a woman,” she said.
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Hughes joked about their home life in the same report: “I go home at night and I surrender at the front door,” he said. Both remarks belong to the 2019 profile and are best understood as personal comments, not as evidence about the company’s governance or ownership.
Was John Hughes still working in 2019?
Yes. PerthNow reported on 17 February 2019 that Hughes, then 83, was still working at the business’s Victoria Park location six days a week. He said: “For as long as I’m alive, I have no intention whatsoever of retiring,” adding, “I don’t know what I’d do. I’d be bored.” Those statements describe his position at the time of publication, not a current declaration.
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The same report said the business had 500 staff across 15 sales outlets in 2019. Those staffing and outlet figures are historical snapshots, not current company totals.
What did later reporting say about the family company?
On 30 August 2024, Business News reported that the family holding company was strengthening governance by appointing an independent chairman and planning succession. The report named Joanna Millard as the intended next managing director. It also reported $900 million in annual automotive sales for 2024; that figure belongs to that report and should not be treated as a current sales figure or proof that the planned leadership transition has since happened.
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Earlier figures measure something different. The West Australian reported in 2013 that the business had turnover of $650 million and sold nearly 21,000 cars in the prior year. Turnover and annual automotive sales are not interchangeable measures, so those figures do not establish a like-for-like growth trend.
Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.What the 50-year story establishes—and what it does not
The dated accounts show a business that began in 1969, developed through later dealership milestones, and remained closely associated with Hughes and his family. The 2019 profile records Hughes continuing to work and rejecting retirement at that time; the 2024 report describes formal succession planning. Neither source establishes whether Hughes is working now or whether the intended managing-director transition has taken place.
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The later public listing for the 2025 Finding the Front episode describes discussion of Hughes’s background, business, first site, Margarita and family, but is a synopsis rather than a new company operating update.
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