11:53 am, June 1, 2026
Lithia UK has confirmed a deal to buy three JLR sites from Group 1 Automotive as it looks to grow its UK dealer network.
Car Dealer broke the news that the two firms were in talks over showrooms in Derby, Chester and Preston last month, with bosses confirming that ‘initial discussions’ had taken place.
Things have now moved along quickly and an agreement to bring the trio under the Lithia UK banner was completed last Friday (May 29).
Under the terms of the deal, the Derby location will operate under the Stratstone name, while the Chester and Preston stores will become Hatfield sites.
All Group 1 employees at the sites in question will also be transferred to Lithia UK, meaning no job losses are expected to follow as a result.
The move follows Group 1’s announcement last October that it would be ending its partnership with JLR, in order to ‘align with long-term growth ambitions’.
The news has sparked a frenzy of other dealer groups looking to get their hands on the sites, with Duckworth Motor Group recently confirming a deal to acquire all the group’s Norfolk Jaguar Land Rover sites.
Confirming the latest acquisition, Neil Williamson, operations president at Lithia UK, said: ‘We are pleased to further strengthen our Jaguar Land Rover relationship and expand our network coverage, following the successful acquisition of Hatfields last year, and we are delighted to welcome many skilled and experienced colleagues to Lithia UK.’
The Derby showroom previously made headlines in 2023, when a flood left the site under several feet of water, with the response sparking fury among customers.
Paul Westaway, managing director of Hatfields and Stratstone Luxury & Exotics at Lithia UK, added: ‘We are thrilled to deepen our relationship with JLR and bring the Range Rover, Defender, Discovery and Jaguar range to a wider network of customers across the UK.’
Lithia UK has been growing its Jaguar Land Rover presence over recent years, having completed a deal to buy specialist JLR retailer Hatfields in October.
That acquisition added dealerships in Hull, Liverpool, Pickering, and Shrewsbury to Lithia’s Land Rover network, bringing its total to 11, including sites that also serve Jaguar customers with used car sales, servicing, and repairs.
However, the takeover – believed to be worth around £70m – was not without controversy, with Lithia UK announcing redundancies across its wider business just days later.
The firm, which also owns Evans Halshaw and Stratstone, having acquired the groups from Pendragon, later revealed that shareholders had received a £50m dividend at the same time bosses were axing hundreds of jobs in a major cost-cutting exercise.
