JOHN Clark Motor Group, the Aberdeen-based car dealer, has reported record turnover for its most recent financial year - despite a “marked reduction” in sales around the time of the Brexit vote and pressure brought by the oil and gas industry downturn in the North-east of Scotland.

The company, which runs 33 dealerships under a range of marques across Scotland, said turnover grew five per cent to £703 million in the year ended December 31 amid a record high for new and used vehicle sales. Profits before tax dipped to £8.2m from £9.1m, though the firm said that, at 1.2 per cent of sales, profits were above the UK motor trade average.

Chairman John Clark said sales of new and used cars bucked the general trends in the Scottish market over the period. It said new unit sales volumes rose by four per cent to 14,712, while used volume grew 10 per cent to 13,062.

Mr Clark, who was awarded an OBE this year, said: “Whilst the early months saw encouraging trading results, the period leading up to and after the Brexit Referendum saw a marked reduction in our vehicle sales performance.

“Consequently, some dealerships experienced operating profits under pressure, against a background of challenges caused by changing market dynamics and declining consumer confidence. Therefore, it is pleasing to again report record turnover, with new and especially used vehicle sales growth that saw our market share improve again. Our customer base has never been bigger”. The company increased its headcount by six per cent to 1,139.