Macklin Motors owner Vertu snaps up car wiper blade firm for £3.5 million

Vertu, the car dealership group operating under the Macklin Motors banner in Scotland, has bolstered its online parts business with the multi-million-pound acquisition of a wiper blade supplier.

Wiper Blades specialises in the sale of car wiper blades and other associated products through operating websites. The business, which was formed in 2005, is being bought for a total cash consideration of £3.5 million.

Vertu said the acquisition was in line with its strategy to develop bolt-on operations to “add revenue and profit streams that complement the core business”. Wiper Blades adds to the Powerbulbs.com business that the car dealership group bought in June 2021.

These businesses are complementary additions to the Aceparts e-commerce business that Vertu acquired in 2015.

Chief executive Robert Forrester said: “Our e-commerce parts business is performing strongly and the addition of Wiper Blades will be accretive both financially and strategically to that part of the group.

“The acquisition is in line with our strategy to develop ancillary businesses which complement the core business and enrich our digital capabilities to continue to provide technology leading edge service to our customers.”

Last month, Vertu assured investors that margins were holding up amid continuing supply woes.

In a trading update to coincide with its annual shareholder meeting, the group warned that the market outlook remained “unclear due to uncertainty of consumer demand and vehicle supply”. However, it anticipates that new vehicle supply will improve gradually in the months ahead.

Vertu has a network of 160 sales outlets, including more than a dozen north of the Border.