º£½ÇÊÓÆµ

Oops.

Our website is temporarily unavailable in your location.

We are working hard to get it back online.

PRIVACY
Enterprise

Inchcape to sell º£½ÇÊÓÆµ car dealership arm for £346m

Solihull-based business has been snapped up by a US group

Car dealership firm Inchcape is to sell its º£½ÇÊÓÆµ retail operations for around £346 million.

The Solihull-headquartered firm said it had signed a deal to sell the operation, which employs 3,600 people across more than 80 sites, to US-based rival Group 1 Automotive.

It comes after Inchcape, which is listed on the London Stock Exchange, announced in January it was reviewing options for the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ business, including a possible sale, after "approaches from a number of interested parties".

Chief executive Duncan Tait said the group's international expansion meant the "strategic importance of the º£½ÇÊÓÆµ retail operations has become limited".

He added: "The board has therefore concluded it is the right time for a new owner to take this business forward."

Inchcape said it would be predominantly focused on automotive distribution operations following the deal which is expected to complete in the autumn.

The company is then planning to return around £100 million to shareholders through a share buyback.