Car dealer to double in size

WORK has started on a major expansion at independent car dealer Halliwell Jones, including a doubling of the size of its BMW-Mini dealership at Warrington.
The group, which has five car dealerships in the North West and Wales, has embarked on the project, backed by £7.6m funding from the Co-operative Bank.
The Warrington project includes improved layout and additional customer parking
at the site in Winwick Road. It is expected to be completed by the end of the year
Other parts of the expansion include a new Mini dealership in Southport and a new state-of-the-art service centre and body shop at the Group’s BMW dealership in Chester.
The projects are expected to result in a 10 per cent increase in the workforce over a period of three years.
Halliwell Jones has dealerships in Southport, the Wirral, Chester, Warrington and Llandudno.
The company has banked with The Co-operative Bank since 2004 and acquired funding in 2007 to acquire its BMW dealership in Llandudno.
Halliwell Jones Group finance director Glyn Howes, said: “We are delighted with the support of The Co-operative Bank and the team at the Manchester CBC, who have a solid understanding of our strategy as a business.
“The continued success of the Group relies not only on our excellent relationship with BMW/MINI and our highly talented staff who work hard to provide the very best customer experience, but also on the funding support of our bank, for which we are extremely grateful.”
Steve Lomax, senior corporate manager at the Manchester Corporate Banking Centre of the Co-operative Bank, said: “We pride ourselves on a tried and trusted strategy of starting and maintaining mutually beneficial relationships with our corporate customers over the long term and are delighted to continue to provide valuable support to help the group to realise its corporate ambitions.”