9:03 am, January 13, 2026
Employees at three Vertu dealerships in the south west of England are facing an uncertain future after the group opened talks to close the sites for good.
Vertu has entered into consultation period with staff at its Launceston Peugeot, Barnstaple Peugeot, and Barnstaple Volvo dealerships ahead of potentially shutting the doors on February 6, according to the North Devon Gazette.
The dealer group says that the decision was made following a ‘carefully review’ into the ‘financial viability’ of the locations.
Vertu acquired the sites as part of its takeover of Helston Garages back in 2022, which saw it add 28 franchised dealers in the south west.
Since the deal was wrapped up, the Car Dealer Top 100 firm has looked to consolidate its network, which included closing Barnstable BMW last March.
If the current proposed closures all go ahead it will leave Volvo and Peugeot customers in Barnstaple needing to go to Exeter for their nearest franchised dealership – a round-trip of around 90 miles.
Meanwhile, Peugeot drivers in Launceston will need to go to Plymouth, which is a 60 mile round-trip.
Confirming the news, a spokesman for Vertu said: ‘We have carefully reviewed the financial viability of our Launceston Peugeot, Barnstaple Peugeot, and Barnstaple Volvo dealerships, and made the difficult decision to enter consultation with our colleagues at these locations, with a view to potentially closing them in early February.
‘Customers can continue to receive the high-quality service from these locations until we agree the outcome of this consultation process, or from our other dealerships in the area.’
If you want to find out more about why so many franchised dealer sites have closed in the last year, you can read our special feature on the subject here.
