AM100 dealer Holdcroft Motor Group increased pre-tax profit by 20% to £9.23 million in 2025 after higher new-car and corporate volumes pushed turnover beyond £800m.
The family-owned dealer group generated turnover of £826m, up 10.8% from £745.6m in 2024, according to accounts filed at Companies House. Profit after tax increased by 23% from £5.75m to £7.07m, while operating profit rose by 7.2% to £11.87m.
However, EBITDA remained almost unchanged at £12.89m as rising employment costs and other operating expenses absorbed much of the gross profit which increased by 9% to £64.38m.
Administrative expenses rose by 9.4% to £52.68m while total employment costs increased by 14% to £34.79m as headcount grew from 688 to 713 employees.
Lower finance costs also contributed to the stronger bottom-line result. Interest expenses fell by 21% from £3.42m to £2.71m, meaning pre-tax profit grew more quickly than operating profit.
The directors said: “When reflecting on the financial performance of 2025 we are extremely proud of the outcome and believe this sits amongst our best annual achievements in recent years.
“The journey through 2025 has been a very challenging one and given the increases in costs, driven principally by employment costs and associated taxation, we feel that the company is on a very firm footing as we tackle the changes in the automotive landscape that the next few years will bring.”
Fleet growth lifts Holdcroft sales
New retail vehicle sales recovered by 13% to 6,052 units, while corporate sales reached a record 15,402 vehicles, up 22% from 12,616. Motability sales however fell by 23% from 3,924 to 3,006 units.
Used retail sales declined by 5% from 9,314 to 8,895 vehicles as Holdcroft faced continued difficulty sourcing good quality stock. Used trade disposals increased by 9% to 7,974 units.
Aftersales revenue also grew with parts turnover increasing by 8% to £55.8m and service turnover rising by 12% to £17.8m.
Chinese brands expand the network
Holdcroft operated 31 franchised dealerships at the end of 2025, up from 30 a year earlier, following the expansion of its relationships with newer Chinese manufacturers.
The Nissan division recorded what Holdcroft described as an exceptional performance, helped by a full year of Omoda and Jaecoo trading in Northwich and the addition of Chery in Crewe. Geely joining the Honda and MG division towards the end of the year. MG retail sales rose by 14% to 1,223 vehicles.
Renault retail sales increased by 14%, Dacia grew by 32% and Alpine volumes rose by 181%, supported by the first full year of the A290 electric hot hatch.
Honda new vehicle sales declined from 1,031 to 653 units, with Holdcroft pointing to a limited model range, weaker electric vehicle performance and the absence of manufacturer support that had boosted the e:Ny1 during 2024.
Hyundai retail sales increased by 2.5% to 1,741 vehicles, although the division was affected by lower Motability volumes and a 283-unit reduction in used retail sales.
The group said it was continuing discussions with other manufacturers seeking to establish themselves in the UK and European markets as it looked to reduce its reliance on the product cycles of individual brands.
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