Meridian Motor Group has recently purchased two Citroen dealerships and an accident repair centre in Morecambe and Kendal from John Wilding for an undisclosed sum.

The business will initially trade as John Wilding Citroen but will be rebranded Vantage following investment.

Together the dealerships are expected to sell 1,500 new and used vehicles throughout the year in order to contribute £15m to group turnover. The vendor of the business Adrian Wilding,son of founder John Wilding  is said to be leaving the motor retail industry. Mark Robinson, Meridian managing director, said the deal marked the start of a new relationship with Citroen. “Citroen is a manufacturer that shares our aspiration for growth and development. “It also has a very strong fleet offering and linked to this acquisition, we will be establishing a UK-wide fleet services department across all our brands.” Vantage now has a total of 18 sales points at 16 locations representing Toyota, Lexus, Hyundai, Kia, Honda and now Citroen. Following the acquisition, the group will employ 400 people across Northern England and the West Midlands. The group is rated 137 in the Motor Trader Top 200 with turnover of £64.9m,

taken from Motor Trader News