Fast growing Meridian acquires another dealership
THRIVING Meridian Motor Group – one of the UK’s fastest growing motor retail companies – has announced plans to open a second Hyundai dealership in Greater Manchester, contributing an additional £10m to the Yorkshire group’s turnover.
The Harrogate business, which trades as Vantage Motor group, has purchased the site of a former Volvo dealership at St Mary’s Way in Oldham for an undisclosed figure and following a £350,000 refit, is expected to open in October and create up to 25 new jobs.
The purchase is Meridian’s eighth deal in ten weeks as the business, which employs over 350 people at 14 dealerships, looks to increase its presence in existing territories, whilst expanding into new markets. Last month, Meridian announced it had acquired Barnsley Honda Limited for an undisclosed figure, boosting group turnover to more than £150m.
Trading as Vantage Hyundai Oldham, the new centre will be expected to sell 800 new and used cars each year.
Andrew Mallory, operations director for Vantage, said: “This expansion will significantly strengthen our presence in Manchester. It’s also great to be able to bring this site back to use again after years of being derelict and to be able to create new jobs.
“We opened our first dealership in Salford two years ago and since then we’ve had a really positive response from customers, so much so, that it now makes sense to open a second dealership in Manchester to enable the business to continue to grow. We are still the only Hyundai dealership in the area and in Hyundai we have a manufacturer that has similar ambitions to match our own to grow their national footprint.”
The growth of Meridian mirrors the recent revival in the fortunes of the wider automotive industry, which saw a 12.7% increase in new car sales this month.
