Iconic car dealership to shut in just HOURS & be demolished as brand axes nearly half its sites
A MUCH-loved car dealership will close in just two days' time as a major brand continues to scrap sites.
What's more, the family-run dealer is set to be demolished shortly after it shuts.
TC Harrison Ford in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, will close its doors for the last time on Friday.
The closure was confirmed after planners granted permission for a new retirement village to be built on the dealership's site last year.
TC Harrison confirmed last month that the dealership would close on May 16, 2025.
Happily, there will be no job losses following the closure, with all business activities and staff to relocate to the the firm's Huntingdon branch, just 11 miles away.
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This site will in turn expand to accommodate the increased staff and activity.
A spokesperson for TC Harrison announced: "Following the planning approval for the proposed retirement village on our St Neots premises, I can now confirm that all our business activities and staff will be transferring to the Huntingdon dealership on May 16, 2025.
"Huntingdon is 11 miles from St Neots, just off the A141.
"We have scheduled a series of announcements to our customer database outlining our collection and delivery services (amongst other offers) to maintain customer convenience.
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"Planning has been approved for further expansion at our Huntingdon dealership and works will commence in due course.
"We look forward to welcoming as many of our St Neots customers as we can."
The TC Harrison dealership in St Neots is just the latest casualty in a five-year plan by Ford to close almost half of its dealerships in the UK.
Announced in 2020, Ford's aim is to boost profitability at its dealers by reducing their quantity and expanding their sales area.
At the start of this year, the Blue Oval announced it would close 50 dealerships across the country to complete this goal.
Only three of these 50 dealers terminated have been able to retain their Ford Authorised Service.
It had cut down to 'just over 200 dealers' nationwide, according to CarDealer, fulfilling its five-year target.
Ford of Great Britain said: "We have been actively restructuring the dealer network over the past several years to better align with the evolving needs of our business and deliver enhanced service."
This comes as part of a wider trend of franchised car dealerships closing across Britain.
Companies including Group 1, Lithia, Marshalls and Vertu have all been scaling back their sites.
TC Harrison dealer group, responsible for the St Neots site closing on Friday, has been a family outfit for 94 years.
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Founded in 1931 by Thomas ‘Cuth’ Harrison, the company came 16th in the Car Dealer Top 100 list of most profitable dealers in Britain, produced by the publication CarDealer.
The Group had a hefty earnings before interest, taxes, depreciation, and amortization sum figure of £34,23 million.
