Scots group acquires second Volvo franchise 31 | 07 | 2018
JOHN CLARK MOTOR GROUP, one of Scotland’s most expansive automotive companies and the third-largest in the country, has continued its growth by acquiring the Volvo dealership from Dundee-based Barnetts Motor Group.
This marks JCMG’s second Volvo dealership following the opening of its first dealership for the Swedish carmaker in Edinburgh in February.
Barnetts had been one of Volvo’s longest-serving dealerships in the UK, having represented the brand since 1965. Its showroom on Dundee’s Riverside Drive had recently been refurbished to Volvo Retail Experience style.
Now the Volvo dealership, under the ownership of Aberdeen-based JCMG, will relocate to a temporary facility on Dundee’s MacAdam Place. Within 12 months it will then move to a new permanent showroom — which will meet Volvo’s latest VRE code — close-by at Rutherford Road.
It's understood that Barnetts' other franchises, Volkswagen and Mazda, have been acquired by Edinburgh-based Eastern Western Motor Group.
“We are looking forward to opening a new home for Volvo Cars in Dundee,” Chris Clark, JCMG managing director said, “and welcoming customers to the showroom, as well as some of the existing Volvo Dundee staff into the John Clark Motor Group.
“They are a brilliant team of people and we intend to invest in further training to ensure they are confident with the products and the systems to ensure a seamless transition of the business.”
Such is the pace of JMCG’s expansion that the site Volvo will finally relocate to is currently occupied by the group’s BMW facility. This in turn will move to a brand new multi-million pound state-of-the-art site on Dundee's Kings Cross Road in 2019, thus vacating the space for Volvo.
“I am personally very excited about the new dealership as we have a great team to work with,” Paul Lanni, brand director, who will oversee the dealership’s move first to MacAdam Place, then Rutherford Road, said. “Volvo has some brilliant products, such as the recently launched XC40 and V60, plus some exciting models planned for the future.
“Opening a new site is very challenging and I am pleased to say we have managed to achieve this in an incredibly tight time scale.
“I am fully confident that with the new team in place the dealership will quickly be fully operational and we look forward to welcoming customers to a launch event in the very near future.”
“All current Volvo Cars Dundee customers will receive direct communication from the group that will reassure them that any current manufacturer service plans or warranties will be honoured. Plus, any future model orders will be transferred across to the new business at MacAdam Place.”
Family-run John Clark Motor Group, — which now employs 1344 people and in 2017 grew turnover by 5% to £742m from £703m, selling 28,136 units — operates 36 dealerships in the North East and East of Scotland in Aberdeen, Cupar, Dundee, Dunfermline, Edinburgh, Elgin, Kirkcaldy, Perth and Stirling. It represents Audi, BMW, Dacia, Land Rover, Jaguar, Mini, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault, Seat, Skoda, Volkswagen, Volvo and Clark Commercials.
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Jim McGill