John Clark Motor Group soars past £1bn turnover as new Perth dealership added

John Clark Motor Group, which has a string of car dealerships across Scotland, said it was on the road to achieving its strategic objectives after passing the £1 billion turnover threshold.

Bosses said the firm has seen the benefits of a continued focus on “operational efficiencies and agility” as it responded to an “ever-changing market”.

Over the year, investment in apprentice, colleague development and staff benefits programmes continued, with the average staff headcount rising to 1,355.

The latest accounts for 2023 show turnover rose to £1.03 billion, from £914.3 million the previous year. Earnings before interest, tax, depreciation and amortisation nudged up to almost £35.2m, from £33.8m in 2022.

Chris Clark, from John Clark Motor Group | Contributed

Chris Clark, group managing director, said: “I am clearly very happy to report further year on year gains continuing to build on our success of previous years. Our teams can once again celebrate playing their part in what has been another great year for the group, and we remain incredibly grateful for all the hard work and effort that each one of our colleagues puts into their roles. I know we have one of the best teams in the industry and I am very proud to be part of it.”

Mr Clark said the group had continued to focus on developing and extending the relationships with existing franchise partners, as well weighing up “potential opportunities presented to us by others”.

This has led to the firm adding the popular MG franchise to its portfolio, initially in Dundee and also now in Perth.

The John Clark Motor Group MG dealership in Perth | Contributed

Build works were completed at the Newbridge motor village in Edinburgh, with the property now occupied by and operated as a “state-of-the-art” Volvo Cars dealership, which is thought to be one of the largest in the UK.

Mr Clark said: “Despite some notable headwinds and an again ever-changing market, we continue to deliver growth in what is now our 50th-anniversary year. Whilst our mid-year results are in line with expectations, as many others across most industries will recognise, it is a year where we are working harder to sell more, but earn less.

“That said, our financial resources remain strong, well balanced, and sufficient to support the business today and allow growth in the future as we actively pursue several acquisition opportunities.”