Car dealership selling popular brands is forced to close – blaming shutdown on ‘perfect storm’
A CAR dealership selling popular brands has been forced to close down after being hit by the "perfect storm".
The Rowcliffes family run group were devastated to say goodbye to their Vauxhall and Citroen forecourts within a month's notice.
The Somerset based dealership in Taunton, sadly fell victim to a string of closures amid the currently "changing" and volatile market.
It announced their shutdown, after more than 50 years in business, to disappointed customers with a statement that blamed it on the "perfect storm".
Rowcliffes added it was a "very difficult" choice, and not one they made themselves.
It read: "All of the Stellantis network which now encompasses Vauxhall, Citroen, Peugeot, Fiat, Abarth, Alfa Romeo, Jeep, DS, and Maserati were issued two-year termination notices in May 2021.
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"This was to enable them to streamline their newly created organisation into revised geographic areas and terminate some dealers who shared these territories along with a plan to consolidate the number of dealer partners they work with.
"We were informed at the end of last year that we would be receiving new contracts for both our Citroen and Vauxhall franchises in June 2023, but last month they changed their mind and rescinded that commitment, giving our territory and Stellantis franchises to another group.
"We have had a month’s notice of this action."
Unable to "re-franchise in that timescale", the dealership was forced to give up their lease.
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Rowcliffes owns two other forecourts spread across Yeovil and Street and the family-run business has been running for an impressive 50 years.
They offer popular brands such as Citroen, Subaru and Vauxhall.
Fortunately the company will still be functioning as a Vauxhall Authorised Repairer in the Street branch.
And, in Yeovil, there are going to be Citroen and Vauxhall models available.
Their closure in Taunton comes as many other car dealerships faced the same fate.
A major dealership closed down after 30 years of business - blaming a popular car brand's failures.
Autovogue, based at Stableford in Staffordshire, said it spent £198,000 repairing Jaguar Land Rover motors last year.
The used-car dealer slammed JLR's "poor manufacture" and "failing" cars in a statement on its website.
in just days as bosses cite a "changing marketplace" as a key factor.
The move came after the showroom's franchise owners cut ties with a big-name manufacturer.
And, many second hand electric car forecourts are worried they will meet the same end soon.
New research revealed the average price of used EV's has plummeted by nearly a quarter.
Elon Musk's popular Tesla brand has been one of the worst affected, as well as other high-end models from BMW and Mercedes-Benz.
Many motor experts are attributing the slash in costs to drivers losing confidence.
The delay on the petrol and diesel cars by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak from 2030 to 2035, had led to many Brits feeling unsure whether to make the switch to electric.
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Meanwhile, a major petrol station chain with over 1,000 garages also closed down one of its franchises recently.