£63m turnover motor group drives ahead with £4m investment in dealership

A Blackburn car dealership is investing £4m in a vehicle preparation centre and showroom expansion as it aims to hit turnover of £70m in 2019 and grow to a workforce of 200 next year.

Hippo Motor Group, which 11 years ago sold 10 cars a month, now sells over 500 per month and employs 160 people. It currently has turnover of £63m.

Tom Preston, managing director, said: “We bought 10 acres of land from the council this year in order to forge ahead with plans to build this ground-breaking 40,000 sq ft vehicle preparation centre.

“We operate in a very competitive market, so it’s vital that we continually seek to invest in growing our offer and in doing so bringing investment and jobs to Lancashire.”

When works are completed by Barnfield Construction, Hippo’s new vehicle preparation centre will boast the UK’s first body shop to have a new fixed line system, 15-bay workshop, separate valet facility for up to 20 cars and a smart repair centre.

Preston added: “Once the build and fit is completed, we will then start work on extending our current showroom and offices in Trident Park, which will take a further six months and £1m investment to complete.”

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