Sandicliffe to close three sites and develop £5m Ford ‘superstore’
East Midlands car dealership group Sandicliffe is set to close three of its Nottingham dealerships – including its historic site in Stapleford – and open a single £5m Ford outlet in a move that will safeguard the future of 118 jobs.
Sandcliffe has been given planning permission by Nottingham City Council to redevelop the former Vision Express call centre headquarters in Lenton, which it bought last January and has been empty since Vision Express moved its support centre to Ruddington.
Sandicliffe will be close its Ford dealerships in; Portland Road, Hucknall; Loughborough Road, West Bridgford; and Nottingham Road Stapleford – where the company was formed in 1948. All 118 staff will be transferred to the new Lenton showroom.
Sandicliffe will demolish the original building and develop the site into a 37,157 sq ft double-storey Ford ‘superstore’.
A planning statement prepared by CBW Architects of Birmingham, said: “Sandicliffe has purchased the application site to accommodate a new Ford Motor Company (FMC) superstore – which is a new Ford concept showroom which houses a larger display plus premium ranges of vehicles.
“This new opportunity is only awarded to successful Ford dealers and there are only a limited number of sites throughout the country.
“The application site has been approved by FMC as an acceptable location for this prestigious development.”
“As part of this redevelopment Sandicliffe will be relocating its existing businesses from their current sites in Stapleford (occupied since 1948), Trent Bridge (occupied since 2005) and Hucknall (occupied since 2005).
“All of these sites are outdated buildings that do not meet the new FMC criteria for current dealerships.
“To upgrade any of these sites is not an option as none are large enough to accommodate the superstore concept, nor even the latest requirements for Ford franchises.”
If the planning application had not been granted, Sandicliffe had warned that its West Bridgford site would close immediately, with the loss of 44 jobs.
Sandicliffe was formed on Nottingham Road, Stapleford in 1948. The company has now grown to 10 locations across the East Midlands including Nottingham, Leicester, Loughborough and Melton Mowbray, selling Ford, Mazda, Kia, Nissan and Skoda marques as well as used car and van sales, servicing and repairs, MOT, parts Bodyshop services and fleet. It remains a family business.
