Car dealer Dicksons races ahead for best ever profits

DICKSONS, the motor dealer with sites in Inverness and Forres, has hailed its "highest ever trading profit" after a boost from the scrappage scheme and its own marketing activity.

The company – which promotes itself as the "friendly power in motoring" – posted a pre-tax profit of 495,000, compared with 48,000 in 2008, with turnover revving up by 15 per cent to 16.9 million.

Accounts newly filed at Companies House reveal the number of cars sold by the group rose 27 per cent year-on-year to 1,433.

New car sales at Dicksons – which has a Nissan, Kia and Daihatsu showroom in Inverness and car repair centres in Forres and Inverness – increased by 73 per cent to 804, spurred on by the scrappage scheme.

Writing in the directors' report, chairman Alistair Scrimgeour said: "The group returned an excellent performance throughout the financial year and finished with its highest ever trading profit."

The firm, which has traded in Forres since 1961 and expanded into Inverness in 1992, said it had set a "challenging" budget for 2010, with turnover expected to ease by 9 per cent to 15.4m and operating profit before tax halving to 258,000.