West Lancs vehicle salvage and recycling firm acquired
A Skelmersdale vehicle salvage and recycling company has been acquired for an undisclosed sum.
Family-owned Hills Motors, which employs around 200 staff, has been bought by vehicle remarketing and recycling group Copart UK.
Hills Motors was founded by Jeff and Dorothy Hill more than 40 years ago. It is now run by Ian Hill and his team.
More recently, Hills has been a leader in the introduction and supply of green parts, including a ground-breaking green parts project with Ageas.
Jane Pocock, CEO of Copart UK, said: “Hills is a perfect fit for our business. Hills is noted for developing long term, stable relationships with clients and the culture – resourcefulness, reliability and logistical excellence – is perfectly aligned to the way we do things at Copart.”
She added: “Hills is in a key location between Liverpool and Manchester so it is a great addition to our nationwide network, and comes with its own transporter fleet.”
She said Hills will become the centre of Copart’s green parts offering, using ‘The Green Parts Specialist’ brand, with MD Ian Hills overseeing the group’s ambitious growth plans in this space.
All Hills staff will remain with the business following the deal.
Jane said: “This is an important additional service for insurer and automotive clients. The Green Parts Specialist will be our independent brand in this market, providing a one stop shop for our customers.
“Demand for recycled or green parts is growing as a result of the increased focus on ESG and bottlenecks in the supply chain for new parts. Ian and his team are acknowledged experts in this area of business and will lead our broader focus on green parts under ‘The Green Parts Specialist’ brand.”
Ian Hill said: “In our discussions with the Copart team I was impressed with their vision for Hills and the determination to scale our market leading green parts proposition. It’s a perfect combination as Copart have the vehicles and we have the infrastructure and know-how for dismantling.”
He added: “I am really excited about the future and the opportunity to scale the business as part of Copart.”
