8:35 am, October 21, 2025
The family-run Marriott Motor Group has blamed ‘increasing costs and reducing margins’ after the car dealer saw its profits wiped out to slump to a loss in 2024.
Accounts, recently filed via Companies House, show that Marriott Motor Group Limited made a pre-tax loss of £39,698 in the 12 months to the end of last December.
The result represents a complete collapse when compared to the previous year’s profit of £1.15m, with bosses now looking to ‘maximise site utilisation and efficiency’ in response.
However, despite the negative result, the year still saw plenty of reasons to be cheerful for the retailer, which was named Audi’s Medium Sized Dealer Group of the Year for 2024.
The accounts show that overall vehicle sales rose by 1.6% from 9,169 units to 9,316. New vehicle turnover increased by 10.8% largely driven by a 6% increase in new car volumes.
However, used vehicle turnover did fall by 10.6% due to declining volumes and lower average transaction values.
That poor second-hand performance meant that turnover across the board dipped by 1.2% to £195.19m, compared to £197.49m in 2023.
Reflecting on the year as a whole, managing director, Paul Barnard, wrote in the accounts: ‘Loss before taxation of £39,698 was significantly down on the prior year despite performance and efficiency gains in many areas of the business.
‘With increasing costs and reducing margins the company is continuing to focus on operating from a reduced footprint to maximise site utilisation and efficiency.
‘As part of this focus the Volkswagen Authorised Repairer site in Stowmarket was closed at the end of the year, with the activities being absorbed into neighbouring full centre operations.
‘The company continues to work closely with the brands we represent and was awarded the Audi Medium Sized Dealer Group of the Year for 2024.
‘This award is based on a varied selection of metrics covering departmental performance and customer feedback.’
Elsewhere, the accounts show that Marriott’s average number of employees rose by two to 358 in 2024.
Despite the minimal rise, staffing costs ballooned by a hefty £663,000 to £14.33m. At the same time, directors’ remunerations fell by 4% to £340,157.
Marriott Motor Group finished 98th in last year’s Car Dealer Top 100 list but the loss will see the firm drop out altogether when the next rankings are published.
The group represents Audi, Skoda, VW and GWM across Suffolk and Norfolk, as well as operating a number of used car sites and even a rent-a-car business.
It has over a century of experience in the motor trade, offering new and used cars, commercial vehicles and aftersales services.
