10:02 am, July 19, 2013
MERIDIAN Motor Group has completed the acquisition of Barnsley Honda Limited.
The deal will significantly increase the business of the Yorkshire-based group, which trades as Vantage, boosting turnover to more than £150 million.
The deal is the seventh acquisition in six weeks for Meridian and hot on the heels of last week’s purchase of Bateman’s Grange-over-Sands dealership in Cumbria.
Taking over the running of the Whaley Road dealership in Barnsley will bring the group’s total number of sites to 14 with 350 employees.
The dealership will continue as Barnsley Honda in the short term, before rebranding as part of the group’s Vantage brand, trading as Vantage Honda – Barnsley.
Meridian Motor Group, which has its head quarters in Harrogate, will count Toyota, Hyundai, Lexus, Kia and Honda among its key brands and the enlarged group will now sell in excess of 10,000 new and used cars each year, with the Barnsley site expected to contribute annual sales of 600 units.
Founder and managing director of Meridian Motor Group, Mark Robinson, said: ‘As well as a significant new acquisition to strengthen our business, this deal will represent the first part of what we believe will be a strong and developing relationship with Honda UK.
‘In Honda we recognise a brand that has a similar ambition to ourselves and this partnership represents good business sense as we look to grow further in the coming months.’
He added: ‘I am pleased to welcome our new team members into the Vantage family and we will ensure that customers continue to receive the same high standards and levels of service that has driven our success in other parts of the UK.’
Managing Director of Honda UK, Phil Crossman, said: ‘We are very pleased to welcome Vantage to Honda, we’ve had a long standing relationship with Mark Robinson and given their recent growth, we are confident we will have a successful future together.’
