9:18 am, September 10, 2026
Employees at Hendy Group’s Skoda dealership in Bournemouth fear they could lose their jobs after the Czech brand decided to sever ties with the South Coast dealer group.
That is according to reports in the Bournemouth Echo, which says it has been contacted by members of staff concerned about their futures.
Car Dealer reported last month that Skoda and Hendy were going their separate ways, causing the immediate closure of a Skoda site in Salisbury.
It has now been confirmed that Hendy’s Bournemouth Skoda site, located on Wallisdown Road, is now set to be recommissioned for a new manufacturer partner.
However, insiders have told the paper that they are concerned about what is coming and have not been informed whether redundancies could be made.
In response to an approach by the outlet, Hendy said it was ‘not appropriate’ to give specific details about employees’ futures at this ‘early stage’.
A spokesman for the dealer group added: ‘Hendy Group will no longer be representing Skoda in Bournemouth (Dorset) as the direct result of a change in franchise strategy by VW Group, involving the consolidation of retailer relationships in certain parts of the UK.
‘Existing Hendy Skoda customers are being supported through this period of transition, and the Hendy Group is simultaneously in the advanced stages of recommissioning this site to accommodate a new brand and to further improve the experience for customers in the local area.’
Even after losing Skoda, Hendy will still boast a handsome portfolio of dealer partners, including Abarth, BYD, Chery, Citroen, Fiat, Ford, Geely Honda and Hyundai.
The firm also represents Jaecoo, Jaguar, Kia, Lotus, Land Rover, Mazda and Nissan, as well as Omoda, Peugeot, Renault, Dacia, Alpine and Vauxhall.
In its most recent set of accounts, the dealer group posted an ‘extremely disappointing’ £18.1m loss before tax.