10:13 am, November 19, 2025
Group 1 Automotive is to close two BMW and Mini sites before the end of the year as part of an ongoing ‘review of strategic options’.
The firm’s sites in Stansted and Hindhead will both close at the end of next year, with work now underway to keep job losses to a minimum.
The news comes less than a month after the US giant announced plans to ditch all of its JLR sites, with bosses bemoaning the ‘challenging’ nature of the UK market.
Meanwhile, the Bishop’s Stortford Independent reports that customers at the Stansted site have been told that high overheads were to blame for the closure of the dealership.
In an email to customers, Bill Latimer, Group 1 BMW franchise director at the site, added: ‘Whilst we will no longer be able to provide or maintain your vehicle from our Group 1 Stansted BMW dealership, we would like to reassure you that we remain fully committed to providing you with an exceptional service at our neighbouring BMW centres.
‘The teams at our Borehamwood, Chelmsford and Cambridge businesses are ready to assist you with all of your sales and servicing requirements.
‘They are also on hand to provide additional support should you need it over the coming days and weeks, so please feel free to reach out to the teams.’
Elsewhere, the Hindhead site will be familiar to local motorists thanks to its prominent position beside the A3.
Group 1 now says that its immediate focus is on supporting employees who will be affected by the closures.
A spokesman for the firm told Car Dealer: ‘We continually review our strategic options in line with our business needs and operational focus and have unfortunately had to take the difficult decision to close our BMW Stansted and BMW Hindhead stores.
‘They will close at the end of December 2025.
‘We have spoken directly to all the teams impacted and our immediate focus is on supporting our impacted colleagues and working closely with them during this transition.
‘We intend to redeploy as many colleagues as possible and support them to apply for other suitable roles within the business.’
