Upmarket car retail group Dick Lovett is to create 150 jobs at a new flagship Jaguar Land Rover dealership in West Wiltshire.
The firm, which has a string of dealership along the M4 selling marques such as Porsche, Ferrari and BMW, has acquired a four-acre greenfield site at Hampton Park West, south of Melksham, for the showroom complex.
Wiltshire Council recently gave planning permission for the 54,000 sq ft dealership. Construction work will get underway shortly with completion expected by the end of this year.
Swindon-based Dick Lovett acquired the land from Bristol property developer Ashville. The development will include an 18 new car showroom fronting Commerce Way and an eight used car showroom facing the A350, split by a state-of-the-art sales and aftersales suite including a lounge with barista bar and children’s play area.
The scheme also includes a supporting workshop and internal car wash facility, and a suite of executive offices.
The land sale was handled by the Swindon office of property agency Alder King and the Bristol office of JLL.
Martin Baker, senior surveyor at Alder King, who negotiated the transaction on behalf of Ashville, said: “In a market with limited availability, this site was notable for its prominent location and superb road frontage. It will make an excellent prestige dealership for Dick Lovett and a new gateway building for Melksham.”
He said the successful disposal of the site, strong take-up of industrial/trade counter units at the neighbouring Ashville Centre and the news that the final plot on the park was the subject of a planning application for a new Travelodge, Greggs and Starbucks, was proof that Hampton Park West was fulfilling its potential as one of Wiltshire’s most successful and thriving business locations.
Ashville development director Spencer Crowder added: “We are delighted to have concluded this transaction with Dick Lovett and are proud to be working on the final phase at The Ashville Centre, bringing the scheme to a successful conclusion. We can now turn our attention to new acquisitions in 2017.”
Dick Lovett, which celebrated its 50th anniversary last year, has grown to become one of the South West’s leading automotive retailers and is the UK’s longest-running BMW partner – continuously selling the German manufacturer’s cars since 1968.
The group, led by chairman Peter Lovett – 100% shareholder and son of its founder – said the new development provided an opportunity to expand its range of brands.
Last year the business, which employs 619 staff in outlets in Swindon, Bristol, Hungerford, Cardiff and Tewkesbury, clocked up sales of £402m on which it made profits of £10m.
Pictured: A CGI image of the flagship Dick Lovett Jaguar Land Rover dealership
