02 May 2018

Five of Now Vauxhall’s eight sites have been rescued from administration with four London sites being bought by Peugeot Citroen Retail-owned Go Vauxhall with Now Vauxhall in Swindon being bought by Eden Motor Group.

The remaining three Vauxhall franchises in West Byfleet, Addlestone and Marlborough have closed.

Now Vauxhall was owned by Jon Taylor, and was originally set up with help from Vauxhall. However, following the acquisition of Vauxhall by PSA, the manufacturer exited Now Vauxhall at the end of last year.

Now Vauxhall operated eight Vauxhall franchises around London and Swindon and had a turnover of £89 million in 2016 according to the latest financial results with a profit before tax figure of £750,694, both up on the previous year. The sites taken on by Go Vauxhall are the Kingston, Heathrow, Hayes and Staples Corner dealerships.

The move follows the mass termination of the Vauxhall network which will see only two-thirds of the network retaining the franchise.

It is understood that Mr Taylor still owns and operates the two Kia dealerships in Stevenage and Harlow he bought in November 2017.

The purchase of the Now Vauxhall dealerships, for an undisclosed sum, was confirmed by PSA, however, when contacted by Auto Retail Agenda, Mr Taylor declined to comment on the purchase of Now Vauxhall by Go Vauxhall’s parent Peugeot Citroen Retail.

The move takes the PSA-owned group to 41 dealerships nationwide with a current total of 27 Peugeot, 14 Citroen, 7 DS and 12 Vauxhall franchises and a 2017 turnover of £885m.

Commenting on the acquisition, head of Peugeot Citroen Retail James Westin said: “At this early stage following the acquisition process of Now Vauxhall by GMRL we do not want to enter into specifics.

“The goal of Robins & Day is to be in a strategic position and to help to the commercial development of the Vauxhall brand. In that framework we remain open to other acquisitions, providing there is a viable business case both for Go Vauxhall and for the Vauxhall brand.”

Tags: Go Vauxhall, Jon Taylor, Now Motor Retail, Now Vauxhall, Peugeot Citroen Retail, PSA, Vauxhall