JLR site opened in capital by car dealer

Monday 20 February 2012

John Clark, Scotland’s fourth-largest motor dealer with a resilient heartland in the north-east, has opened a £6 million facility in Edinburgh for Jaguar Land Rover, currently Europe’s most successful carmaker.

JLR increased its Europe-wide sales by 39% in January when Mazda slumped by 36%, Renault by 25% and Fiat by 16%. UK car sales were flat, but car manufacturing increased by 16%, helped by the performance of JLR, which has all its plants in the UK.

Chris Clark, director at John Clark Motor Group, said investing in high-end car sales in the current climate had been a “leap of faith” when the investment decision had been taken three years ago. “We are taking a minimum 25-year view on this business,” Mr Clark said. “This is a franchise and a brand that is very much on the up.” Clark’s Pentland Land Rover took over the franchise for the whole of the Lothians last month after the manufacturer invited a pitch from Pentland and the other incumbent Stratstone. Mr Clark cited “sensible decisions taken by Land Rover at the height of the recession” to pull back volumes and consolidate. Jeremy Hicks, managing director of JLR, said in Edinburgh that the “customer-focused investment” at Newbridge was “an important step” for the marque. The dealership built by Stewart Milne Construction has a fully-glazed showroom facing onto the M9 motorway, with a lower ground floor to compensate for restricted building height due to its location on the airport’s flight path. John Clark last month moved into the Perth area for the first time, with the acquisition of the Thomson & Potter Skoda dealership.

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JLR site opened in capital by car dealer

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