10:11 am, November 9, 2016
THE IDENTITY of Captain Caralot may have been a well-kept secret in the industry, but now the business he works for is veiled in more mystery than ever.
The dealership’s website is currently down, no one is answering the phones, there have been no posts on Facebook since November 5 and the popular Twitter account has also been removed.
The dealership previously won Car Dealer’s Used Car Dealership over 100 cars at the Used Car Awards 2014, as well as several other business awards.
The last Facebook post on the Caralot page explains that it is ‘currently in the process of restructuring’ the business and that it has ‘a new website coming and are making some great changes to Caralot ready for the future and to continue giving people “the most enjoyable car buying experience you’ll ever have”’.
According to the Derby Telegraph, a comment on the post said ‘They’ve gone. All stock of cars gone (and it is an) empty building’ but it has since been deleted.
The post closed with Caralot stating that staff would be back on Monday, however the Derby Telegraph has reported that ‘at tea-time on Tuesday, there was no activity at the firm’s premises in Spondon, with no sign of any business taking place or any staff on site at its three units’. Car Dealer has since confirmed that there is no response from the site.
Former director of Caralot Jamie Caple, who started the dealership six years ago, confirmed that he left the business three months previously. Speaking to Car Dealer this morning, he expressed his extreme sadness and dismay at the reports but said that he did not know what had happened to the business.
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