JCT600 has severed its ties with its Stellantis franchises Vauxhall, Peugeot and Citroen following a full strategic assessment of future alternatives and its model companions.
The Bradford-based AM100 car retail group’s Vauxhall, Peugeot and recently-opened Citroen dealership on Sticker Lane, Bradford, will shut with fast impact as a part of the shift, whereas its Vauxhall dealership in Castleford and Peugeot in Menston will shift to Kia and Cupra subsequent summer time.
In an announcement issued to AM, JCT600 chief executive John Tordoff stated: “Having represented a few of these manufacturers for a few years, this choice has not been taken flippantly.
“Given the massive international modifications in recent times, we have now to make sure that the enterprise is match for objective for the longer term.
“This has required us to make some tough selections to make sure we make investments our assets and manpower within the manufacturers the place we’re seeing the best buyer demand, notably these that are focussing on growing greener, electrical autos and offering excellent buyer help.”
JCT600’s stated that its strategic exit from Stellantis’ franchised retail networks would have an effect on 100 colleagues, over 90% of whom have been supplied various roles at different dealerships inside the group.
Its fast closure of its Sticker Lane multi-brand website will coincide with the relocation of its specialist physique store from Bradford to a brand new website adjoining to JCT600’s luxurious automobile dealerships in Leeds.
The group stated this would scale back pointless automobile actions, giving environmental advantages and efficiencies, including that “all employees employed at this website will retain their jobs”.
Tordoff stated: “We have now finished our greatest to make sure that the overwhelming majority of colleagues impacted by the modifications are supplied jobs at different native JCT600 companies near the place they dwell, and I wish to thank every of them for his or her exhausting work and repair.
“We additionally recognize the loyalty of consumers at these dealerships through the years and hope to proceed to take care of their wants, whether or not for servicing, MOTs or autos, at our different dealerships.
“Given our wonderful popularity and stable monetary base, we have now an extremely robust platform on which to drive the enterprise ahead.
“We have now some very thrilling alternatives forward of us with each current and new manufacturers, all of which will probably be introduced sooner or later.”
Tordoff added: “It’s protected to say the way forward for JCT600 is much more thrilling than its previous as the corporate continues to evolve and we start to navigate our approach by the subsequent 75 years.”
JCT600 is reducing its ties with Stellantis 4 years after it ended its long-standing franchised partnership with BMW and Mini in Bradford.
Within the years since, nevertheless, it has strengthened its ties with Porsche and Ferrari – growing new retail and aftersales amenities for every model – and in addition established a Roll-Royce franchise in Leeds.
Stellantis is considered one of quite a lot of OEMs which has already set its path in the direction of an company mannequin for its automotive retailers. Final 12 months it issued a two-year termination notice to its total European community.
