10:32 am, April 21, 2023
Volvo has officially become a Vertu Motors brand as the five dealerships acquired from Helston Garages are renamed.
The dealerships in Barnstaple, Exeter, Taunton, Yeovil and Truro have now come under the Vertu branding.
However, the existing management teams have been kept in place, including Alan Woodland, general manager at Vertu Volvo Taunton, pictured above.
Vertu Motors purchased these locations as well as 23 others in December 2023. A few weeks earlier Yeomans announced they were adding Volkswagen to their portfolio by acquiring 12 sites from Helston Garages and its Porsche Exeter business was also purchased by Rybrook.
Anthony Jones general manager at Vertu Volvo Barnstaple
Robert Forrester, chief executive of Vertu Motors, said: ‘I am delighted to welcome these South West Volvo retailers, colleagues and customers to Vertu Motors.
‘Volvo is a fantastic brand, that prides itself in its safety, heritage and design.
‘Customers will still receive the same excellent service they are used to, delivered by familiar faces – just with new name above the door.’
As part of its growth strategy in the south west, Vertu added sponsorship of Somerset Women’s and Men’s County Cricket Club earlier this year.
Matt Thresher group corporate & fleet manager at Vertu Volvo Exeter
Helston Garages has been trading since 1960 and was founded by David Stanley Carr and Betty Vera Carr in the Cornish village of the same name.
The husband and wife team have both died and it is believed the beneficiaries of the business did not want to run the business, which triggered the sale.
The family-owned company operates its showrooms under a handful of names including Carrs, Yeovil Motor Company, Truro Motor Company, Truscotts and Kastner. It has over 40 sites.
