A MAJOR car dealer is closing down a service centre, despite previously pledging to keep it open.
The firm ended retail operations earlier in the year, but said that wouldn’t impact the centre’s ability to run.
But now Group 1 are shutting down the Telford VW site altogether, leaving countless workers suddenly without a job.
An anonymous worker for the brand told Car Dealer that staff were only made aware of the decision a matter of weeks ago.
“The group announced redundancy for remaining staff members on November 17.
“They will be closing down the service operation also, due to a site closure.”
The news comes as part of a string of changes as Group 1 continues to re-shape its operations in the UK.
Speaking on the job losses, a spokesperson for Group 1 Automotive said: “We continually review our strategic options in line with our business needs and operational focus and have unfortunately had to take the difficult decision to close our Telford repair and service centre.
“We have spoken directly to all the teams impacted and our immediate focus is on supporting our impacted colleagues and working closely with them during this transition.
“We intend to redeploy as many colleagues as possible and support them to apply for other suitable roles within the business.”
Last year, the US firm landed a £346m deal with Inchcape, doubling its footprint across the Atlantic.
But since then the firm is reported to have been ‘knee deep” in challenges, needing to find ways to scale back.
In October the dealer group announced its next move: to axe all of its JLR sites in the UK market.
Bosses at Group 1 admitted that the market in the UK remains ‘challenging’ to crack, so it made sense for the company to look there first.
The Telford VW site isn’t the only centre facing closure.
Group 1 will also be closing their BMW and Mini sites in Stansted and Hindhead before the year comes to a close.
The Sun reached out to Group 1 Automotive for comment.
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