THE Selkirk branch of a collapsed luxury car dealership group has been shut with immediate effect, with all 23 staff made redundant.
Administrators from Leonard Curtis Business Rescue and Recovery, who were called in last week after Leven Cars Group Limited got into difficulties, confirmed that the Kia and Suzuki dealerships in Selkirk have been shut, due to "limited interest" being expressed in taking it over.
The franchises for Kia and Suzuki in Selkirk were acquired from previous owners the Belmont Group in March 2018.
Staff who have lost their jobs includes mechanics, sales people and office staff. Last year it reported an increase in new car sales.
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While Leven, which employs 139 staff across four dealerships, ceased trading, none of the company’s employees had been made redundant until now.
The administrators said they discussions were continuing with parties interested in taking on the company's remaining Edinburgh sites in Sighthill and Corstorphine.
The administrators said: "It is hoped that soon the Joint Administrators will be in a position to confirm if a sale is possible."
The Corstorphine branch is the firm's flagship showroom, selling specialist high end cars including holding the Rolls-Royce franchise for Scotland.
The group is also the sole franchise holder for Aston Martin in Scotland, as well as selling Suzuki, Mitsubishi, Lotus and Kia.
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Joint Administrator, Stuart Robb, said “We appreciate that this is disappointing news for the staff based at Selkirk. Our focus is to ensure that those employees affected by redundancy there receive the best support possible.
“In terms of the remaining parts of the business, there has been significant interest and we are in advanced discussions with a number of parties. We would like to thank the employees for their continued patience and support during this difficult period. Rest assured, we will endeavour to provide them with an update as soon as possible.”
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