Hendy Group has secured planning permission which can permit it to remodel a former John Lewis retailer right into a multi-brand automobile dealership.

Work is anticipated to get underway quickly to remodel the vacant web site in Kingstanding Enterprise Park, Tunbridge Wells, after planning officers gave the inexperienced mild to an software made on behalf of the AM100 automobile retail group in January.

In response to Enterprise Insider, the event will convey collectively 4 automobile and industrial car (CV) manufacturers in a single retail location when it opens its doorways to prospects in early 2024.

Hendy may even relocate its gross sales, components and servicing departments from close by Mount Ephraim – the place it has Ford, Mazda and Suzuki dealerships – to the brand new facility as a part of an operation.

Mount Ephraim will shut forward of redevelopment as for housing, it added.

Commenting on Hendy’s plans for the location of the previous John Lewis at Dwelling retailer, which closed in April 2021, group chief government Paul Hendy advised Enterprise Insider: “We will now progress our plans to convey this main empty retail web site, which is near different motor retailers and the A21, again into use. It is going to guarantee the world stays a vacation spot for keen automobile consumers.

“Trendy producers – and our prospects – rightly count on ever increased requirements. Sadly, the apparent bodily constraints of our present web site on Mount Ephraim imply we won’t make the enhancements we have to put in place. Our solely choice is to relocate, and the vacant John Lewis web site now offers us with the best resolution.”

Hendy added: “It was nice that members recognised our dedication to retaining jobs within the borough and supply enough house to develop our operations to accommodate our automobile and van franchises.”

Again in December Hendy Group printed annual monetary outcomes for 2021 which confirmed a 58.1% uplift in pre-tax earnings and 27.2% turnover development in a “turbulent” local weather for automobile retail.

In February Paul Hendy hailed 2023 because the automobile retailer’s “largest 12 months” as he celebrated the successes of its top-performing employees at an annual awards occasion, nonetheless.

As properly at its plans for Tunbridge Wells, the group has not too long ago relocated its Moke franchise, added a Maserati franchise and expanded its relationship with Lotus Vehicles.