17-year-old Scottish garage group gears up for opening of 17th branch

A Scottish garage group will next month add a 17th outlet to its stable, marking the same number of years since the business was founded.

D&G Autocare, which was set up in Fife in 2004, will celebrate its 17th anniversary with the opening of the new garage on April 1, opposite the Shawfield Stadium in Rutherglen, Glasgow. It marks a further consolidation of the company’s position in the west of Scotland, where it has existing garages in East Kilbride and Airdrie.

Marking an investment of £150,000, the new facility will employ five staff and provide a full servicing provision, including MOTs. Shaun Clelland, previously the manager at D&G Autocare in East Kilbride, will head up the new garage which hopes to employ apprentices in the near future.

Director of operations, Peter Wood said: “It’s good news for the local economy at what has been an extremely difficult time for everyone. We look forward to building a strong clientele here in the coming months. This is a fantastic new location, just five minutes from Glasgow city centre.

D&G Autocare, the independent garage group, has announced the launch of a 17th garage to its stable.

“It’s also an extremely happy coincidence that this opening of garage number seventeen is coinciding with our seventeenth anniversary. Looks like it’s a lucky number for us at this time.”

D&G, headquartered in Kirkcaldy, employs a total of 150 people, with a £10 million turnover. Its garages are located in Fife, Tayside, Edinburgh, Stirling, West Lothian and the west of Scotland.

Wood added: “It was always our intention at launch to try to open a new garage every year, if we saw the correct opportunities in the right locations.

“It hasn’t worked out exactly like that, but we’re really pleased to have got to this total, especially given the pandemic, which is affecting every part of the economy. Each garage we open represents an overall investment in equipment and staff of over £150,000, which is a considerable amount of money.

“Three young people will be qualifying later this year across our group as a result of our apprentice scheme. It’s really important to us to keep this going, and even before the pandemic came along, we saw real value in this approach.”

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