More than 100 jobs saved after rescue of string of Edinburgh car dealerships - including Rolls-Royce and Aston Martin franchises

Aston Martin recently launched its latest model, the DBX, pictured at Edinburgh Castle. Picture: Contributed | other

More than 100 jobs have been saved after separate rescue deals were struck for a string of Edinburgh car dealerships including Scotland’s only Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce showrooms.

English high-end car dealer Cambria Automobiles, which trades under the Grange brand, confirmed that it had acquired the Aston Martin and Rolls-Royce Motor Cars franchises from the administrator of Leven Cars Group, which collapsed earlier this month.

Cambria, which also uses the County Motor Works, Invicta and Motorparks brands, said it had paid £1.6 million for the franchises. The Aston Martin showroom is currently based in the Bankhead area of the city while the Rolls-Royce showroom is near Corstorphine.

Mark Lavery, chief executive of Cambria Automobiles, said: “The board is delighted to have acquired these two great assets in Edinburgh, marking the group’s entry into the important Scottish market.

“Aston Martin has been part of Cambria’s portfolio since the end of 2007 and this acquisition increases the group’s representation to four dealerships.

“This acquisition also adds Rolls-Royce Motor Cars to the group’s high luxury segment and we are excited to welcome this prestigious brand to the portfolio.”

The confirmation follows the news on Monday night that Vertu Motors, which trades as Macklin Motors in Scotland, had snapped up the Kia, Suzuki and Mitsubishi dealerships, which are located on Bankhead Drive, from the administrators.

It means that, in total, 101 of the 139 jobs affected by the collapse of Leven Cars have been safeguarded.

Both rescue deals follow the closure of Leven’s Kia and Suzuki dealerships, in Selkirk, last week.

Stuart Robb, joint administrator from Leonard Curtis Business Rescue & Recovery Glasgow, said: “We are pleased to confirm the sale of the remaining parts of Leven Cars Group.

“Being able to secure a sale and save so many jobs in such a short timescale is testament to everyone involved, in particular the employees who have been extremely patient and understanding throughout the sale process.

“We would like to thank them for their support over the past two weeks and wish them every success in their new roles.”

Earlier this month, stock market-listed Aston Martin warned that it will miss its profit targets after tough headwinds continued into December, a key month for the motor industry, even as fellow luxury car-maker Rolls-Royce posted a record year.