11:48 am, June 2, 2026
Constellation Automotive Group has upped its stake in car dealer Vertu after the firm was revealed as the mystery buyer of a £20m stock purchase.
Car Dealer reported yesterday (Jun 1) that an unnamed investor had scooped up a 7.5% stake in the listed car dealer after 23.2m shares changed hands from fund manager Schroders.
It has now been revealed that Constellation was the firm behind the move, increasing its stake in the dealer group from 11.02% to 19.15% in the process.
The acquisition, which has been confirmed in a filing to the London Stock Exchange, is likely to fuel further speculation about Constellation’s long-term intentions towards Vertu.
The firm, which owns Marshall Motor Group, Cinch, We Buy Any Car and BCA, previously made a £22.6m profit from its share holding in Lookers when it was taken private.
The group now controls 59.7m voting rights in Vertu, making it one of the company’s very largest shareholders.
The most recent shares were purchased in off-book deal at a price of 84p per share. The price was a 30% premium over the 64p price the business had been trading at prior to the announcement.
The deal saw the share price leap to a high of 75.6p on Friday after the transaction took place as retail investors followed suit.
At time of writing, shares in Vertu – run by Robert Forrester, pictured – are still trading at 72.5p valuing the company at around £228m.
Constellation’s current 19.15% stake amounts to 59.7m shares – worth £43.3m at Vertu’s current valuation.
Following the announcement, a spokesperson for Vertu Motors told Car Dealer: ‘Constellation has been on the share register for some years and has been a supportive, positive shareholder.
‘We will continue to run the business in the best interests of all our shareholders, colleagues and OEM partners alike.’
Car Dealer has contacted Constellation for comment.
