12:09 pm, November 3, 2025
Around 30 Big Motoring World employees have officially been made redundant, sparking ‘uproar’ among those affected.
The used car supermarket group has axed workers from across its Big Wants Your Car’ Division, following a brief consultation period.
Car Dealer reported on October 22 that the firm had put the jobs at risk due to its decision to outsource vehicle transportation, as part of a drive to ‘streamline operational efficiency’.
The story eventually made national headlines after The Sun picked up on our initial coverage.
Now, less than two weeks on, it has been confirmed that all employees who were part of the consultation will depart Big Motoring World with immediate effect.
Staff were informed of the decision in a meeting held last Thursday (Oct 30), which was chaired by the firm’s commercial director Neil Hodson.
Car Dealer has listened to an audio recording of the meeting, in which Hodson faced an angry response from some of those present.
He was also grilled by the employees about when the decision was made.
Sources familiar with the situation have told Car Dealer that staff feel ‘misled’ by senior management and believe that there has been a ‘discrepancy’ between comments made in public and what was said during the meeting.
They also accused Hodson of failing to respond to questions and leaving the meeting ‘abruptly’.
One insider told Car Dealer: ‘Neil Hodson faced considerable questioning from staff but did not respond to queries regarding the decision before leaving the meeting abruptly.
‘There was no acknowledgment of staff service or apology for the immediate redundancies.’
They added that the decision had caused ‘frustration and uproar among staff’, who felt they had been ‘misled and left with only one day’s notice before termination’.
‘Deeply unsatisfied’
Following the decision to axe the workers, 26 employees have signed a letter of grievance, in which they hit out at how the process was handled.
The staff, who worked at Big Motoring World for a combined 59 years and four months, said: ‘On 23rd October 2025, The Sun published an article quoting CEO Laurence Vaughan, who stated that all staff affected by the redundancy process would receive full support.
‘I confirm that the above statement is misleading to the public. I did not receive a fair consultation or review, as the outcome had been predetermined.
‘Furthermore, the claim made by Laurence Vaughan that the company offered me support is entirely false.
‘I have not received any form of support from the company and remain deeply dissatisfied with the way I have been treated by the senior management of Big Motoring World.’
‘We greatly value our staff’
In response to the comments, a spokesman for Big Motoring World told Car Dealer that it had ‘followed government guidelines at all stages of the redundancy consultation process’.
The firm insisted that the process had included ‘the provision of guidance on alternative roles at Big Motoring World’ with employees offered meetings with the firm’s newly outsourced transportation and logistics partner.
A spokesman said: ‘The People team at Big Motoring World followed government guidelines at all stages of the redundancy consultation process.
‘The process included the provision of guidance on alternative roles at Big Motoring World, and the offer of meetings with our outsourced transportation and logistics partner regarding open positions directly relevant to their experience.
‘We greatly value our staff and, since the change in management in late 2023, have taken a series of steps that have led to a 30% reduction in the staff turnover rate.
‘We will continue to explore new ways to enhance the experience for current and future staff.’
The news comes after Big Motoring World suffered heavy losses in its latest accounts, with profits slipping by more than 1,000%.
Despite this, bosses say that the recent third quarter was the firm’s ‘most successful’ ever and insist that ‘foundations are in place to achieve strong and sustainable growth’.
