8:30 am, November 9, 2017
A BID to build a £60 million Mercedes-Benz car dealership in Stockport has been given the green light by council planners.
LSH Auto UK, which operates nine Mercedes-Benz and Smart dealerships in the Manchester and Birmingham areas, has received planning permission to build a state-of-the-art facility off Brighton Road in the town, together with a high-tech body and paint repair centre. A total of 165 new jobs will be created by the development.
Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council’s planning committee approved the application for the 10.5-acre site, which will showcase 30 new Mercedes-Benz models, 10 Mercedes-Benz AMG vehicles and 100 Approved Used vehicles. It will also include 32 workshop bays.
An artist’s impression of the aerial view of the dealership
The three-storey dealership, which has an anticipated completion date of December 2018, will also become the benchmark to support the electric car strategy of LSH Auto UK Ltd, which is part of the Hong Kong-based global automotive retailing group Lei Shing Hong.
The land was previously an industrial site but has been derelict for many years, and the new development will also become LSH Auto UK’s hub for the Manchester region, with some of the functions from its Manchester Central site being relocated there.
Clive Hammond, LSH Auto UK managing director, said: ‘In July last year we acquired the franchise for Mercedes-Benz in the Manchester and Birmingham areas and undertook a thorough review of our business to identify key sites as opportunities for investment to support the sustainability and growth of our business. Stockport was one such site!
‘Our existing Stockport operation, in Wellington Road North, is significantly challenged in terms of capacity, limiting our efficiencies and our ability to offer the desired experience to our customers.
‘We see great potential in the Stockport area as a strategically important location with its proximity to the airport and excellent transport links, which will complement our international business structure.
‘Our aim is to create a dynamic, sustainable and attractive facility that will provide a landmark “destination” on this prominent site in the town and offer our customers and general public a great opportunity to experience Mercedes-Benz and LSH under one unique roof. We are really excited about Stockport.’
Pictured at top: An artist’s impression of how the dealership will look
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