A POPULAR car dealership which has been in business for 94 years, is set to close one of it’s branches, with the site set to be demolished.
TC Harrison, a family run business, which has been operating since 1931, will close its dealership in St Neots, Cambridgeshire in just weeks, to make way for a retirement village.
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The building will then be demolished, with a retirement village to be built in its place.
Plans for the retirement village, on Cambridge Street were approved in 2024, and it has now been revealed that the dealership will close for good on May 16.
All business activities and staff will be relocated to the Huntingdon branch, where an expansion is planned.
A spokesperson said: “Following the planning approval for the proposed retirement village on our St Neots premises I can now confirm that all our business activities and staff will be transferring to the Huntingdon dealership on May 16, 2025.
“Huntingdon is 11 miles from St Neots, just off the A141.
“We have scheduled a series of announcements to our customer database outlining our collection and delivery services (amongst other offers) to maintain customer convenience.
“Planning has been approved for further expansion at our Huntingdon dealership and works will commence in due course, and we look forward to welcoming as many of our St Neots customers as we can.”
The new retirement village will be made up of 57 flats and 16 cottages, with communal facilities and parking also to be made available to residents.
The developer said that the complex is being built due to the “rapidly growing and ageing population”, adding that the apartments are “much needed.”
More Car Dealerships Closing
Earlier this week, Synter announced it was selling it’s Manchester Carshop site to a used car company, as part of a brand shift.
Announcing the news on LinkedIn, CEO Shaun Lane said: “I’m pleased to announce that Motor Range has acquired Carshop Manchester (Sytner) as of today and will now operate two sites in the northwest.
“After months of hard work we welcome the current team of staff to the Motor Range family and we’re all excited to take this operation to the next level.
“It’s been a pleasure dealing with Sytner during the acquisition and Motor Range wishes them well for the future!
“The best Northwest used car supermarket just got better.”
Why are so many car dealerships closing down?
By Summer Raemason
According to Business Rescue Expert there are multiple reasons why car dealerships are folding across the UK.
The first major factor is rising online car sales which are beating in-person sales at dealerships.
With an extensive range of comparison and second-hand sites to chose from, may car buyers don’t even step foot into a dealership anymore.
Secondly, the actual cost to physically run the sites has soared.
Rent, wages and energy bills have all been increasing for roughly the past five years, putting many out of pocket.
Car manufacturing across the globe was also hit by a semiconductor chip shortage in 2022 which made it difficult to produce new motors.
The high demand with limited supply created a backlog, which although has eased, is still having an impact on the industry.
A third reason for recent closures is the shift to electric cars.
They are becoming more popular, given the Government initiative to be Net Zero in 2050.
The industry is also affected when companies merge or are bought by rivals.
This may lead to some independent names falling victim to the ongoing spate of closures.
And in another blow to the industry, Mercedes Benz announced earlier this month the closure of all of it’s UK dealerships.
The German car brand’s annual accounts revealed that it has “disposed of its remaining leasehold premises” after years of struggling financially.
Confirming the latest news, director Wolfgang Pipperger said: “During the period, the company sold its remaining dealerships at which point the company ceased to trade.
“After the reporting date, the company disposed of its remaining leasehold premises, recovered its remaining trade and other receivables and settled any outstanding trade and other payables with a view to move the company into a dormant status.
“The directors do not expect any further future trading activity within the company.”
And just last month, landmark car dealership Abbey Garage in Street, Somerset, announced that it has stopped trading, for an unspecified reason.
“As you can imagine this is a very sad time for us and the decision was not made lightly,” the team told devastated customers in a Facebook message, just days before closing.
“We would like to thank you all for your custom over the many many years and wish you happy motoring!”
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