Alan Woodland General Manager at Vertu Volvo TauntonAlan Woodland General Manager at Vertu Volvo Taunton

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Vertu rebrands five Volvo dealerships after acquisition from Helston Garages

  • Vertu Motors added Volvo to its portfolio earlier this year when it purchased five south western dealerships from Helston Garages
  • The deal saw them take the majority of showrooms from the dealer group
  • It has now rebranded these sites as it pursues its growth strategy nationally

Time 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

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

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.

Rebecca Chaplin's avatar

Rebecca has been a motoring and business journalist since 2014, previously writing and presenting for titles such as the Press Association, Auto Express and Car Buyer. She has worked in many roles for Car Dealer Magazine’s publisher Blackball Media including head of editorial.



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