Drive Motor Retail has invested more than £2 million in a major redevelopment of its Darlington dealership to transform the site into a multi-brand hub.
The overhaul introduces new partnerships with Citroën, Peugeot, Fiat and Abarth, alongside Fiat Professional aftersales services, while the site will continue to represent Vauxhall, Leapmotor and MG.
Stellantis drives multi-brand shift
The redevelopment reflects wider requirements from global automotive group Stellantis, which is encouraging multiple brands to operate from single, modernised locations to improve efficiency and customer experience.
The Darlington site, which had not undergone a major refurbishment for more than 20 years, will now enable customers to view and test drive up to seven new vehicle brands in one location, alongside more than 130 used vehicles.
Jeff Parkin, general manager at Drive Motor Retail Darlington, said: “This investment represents a major step forward for our Darlington site and reflects the growing demand in the area.
“The dealership hadn’t seen a full refurbishment for more than two decades, so this redevelopment allows us to completely modernise the site and bring together an exciting range of brands in one location.
“We’re also incredibly proud that this investment is creating new jobs locally, and we’re continuing to recruit talented technicians to support our service capabilities.”
Aftersales expansion, job creation
The upgraded facility includes five dedicated showrooms, expanded workshop capacity and improved service throughput following the relocation of the MOT bay and installation of additional vehicle ramps.
The investment has already created 13 new roles, with further recruitment ongoing, particularly for vehicle technicians and master technicians to support increased aftersales demand.
From early April, the dealership will operate as an authorised repairer for Citroën, Fiat, Fiat Professional, Abarth and Peugeot. New Peugeot vehicle sales will begin from May 1, with the full brand line-up available from June 1.
The expanded Darlington operation strengthens Drive Motor Retail’s regional footprint while broadening customer choice across new vehicles, used stock and aftersales services.
Group scale and growth
Drive Motor Retail is one of the UK’s largest privately owned dealer groups, with annual turnover of around £400 million and more than 800 employees across 30 franchise dealerships nationwide.
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