9:20 am, April 29, 2026
Lookers has officially opened a new Cupra and Seat dealership in the north east of England – just days after reports that the dealer group is planning redundancies across multiple divisions.
Car Dealer reported last Wednesday (Apr 22) that the car dealer will be imminently consulting with staff as it attempts to service its huge debt pile.
It is anticipated that jobs will be lost ‘at dealership level’ in the firm’s Ford and Volkswagen divisions but that has not stopped bosses from chasing further expansion elsewhere.
The outfit has now opened a new standalone dealership in Newcastle, bringing together Cupra and Seat – both VW Group brands – at a new flagship store close to the city centre.
Bosses say the development is a ‘significant investment in the local economy’ that will ‘deliver real choice and value to the people of Newcastle’.
Lee Swindells, Lookers franchise director, said: ‘We are thrilled to bring one of the world’s greatest brands to a world class city, delivering real choice and value to the people of Newcastle.
‘This outstanding new dealership marks a major investment in the brands and in the city and the feedback we’ve received so far has been fantastic.
‘Congratulations to our outstanding local team for a supercharged official opening event.’
Claire English, head of sales for Cupra and Seat, added: ‘Welcoming Newcastle to our growing Cupra family marks a key milestone as part of our nationwide expansion and the warmth of the welcome we’ve received in the city has been beyond our expectations.
‘Our strong partnership with Lookers reflects our commitment to delivering outstanding customer service built on experience and an outstanding reputation and we’re looking forward to continued growth together.’
Lookers – a former Car Dealer Top 100 retailer – was bought by Global Auto Holdings in late 2023, who immediately upset employees by cancelling festive bashes and announcing mass redundancies.
Disgruntled staff have consistently contacted Car Dealer since the takeover and had previously claimed that major cost cutting at the firm had seen morale tumble.
Former VW Group UK boss Alex Smith runs the business as executive chairman after former managing director James Brearley left the company in October.
Accounts for the firm bounced back from a £1.8m loss in 2023 last year.
Documents filed via Companies House in September showed Lookers Limited made a pre-tax profit of £43.7m in 2024 – a whopping rise of 2,527.7%.
The result came despite a drop in revenue, with income decreasing from £4.49bn to £4.29bn.
The firm previously reported turnover of £4.59bn in 2023 but has now amended the figure after changing the way it calculates revenue from insurance and warranty sales.
All claims about the latest wave of redundancies have been put to Lookers, but the dealer group has not responded to repeated requests for comment.
