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27th August 2024
John Clark Motor Group (JCMG), the family run and owned automotive business with sites across North, East and Central Scotland, have today filed accounts at Companies House for the year ended December 31st 2023.
These accounts show that we maintained positive momentum towards our key strategic objectives, as we crossed the £1 billion Turnover threshold. Motor trade media specialist surveys saw us again ranked as one of the top twenty groups in the UK, with net profits which represented a UK motor trade upper quarter return on sales % performance.
The company saw the benefits of a continued focus on operational efficiencies and agility to counter and optimise performance in an ever-changing market. We again offered effective multi-channel communication to our customers and colleagues, which allowed us to listen, learn and act. The result being that, despite significant adverse used car market pricing changes in the latter months, 2023 as a whole saw strong trading positives and the continuation of a robust positive cash at bank position.
This also allowed us to, as a key priority, convert our extended temporary cost of living support measures of 2022 into permanent wage reviews for our staff. Our investment in apprentice, colleague development and staff benefits programmes also continued, with average staff headcount rising to 1,355. We saw an increase in retention rates to a then below industry average staff turnover ratio.
Looking back on 2023 ... Chris Clark, Group Managing Director commented:
“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.”
In 2023, we continued to focus on developing and extending the relationships with our existing franchise partners, as well as to consider potential opportunities presented to us by others, which saw us add the MG franchise to our portfolio, initially in Dundee plus also now in Perth.
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 said to be one of the largest in the UK. Redevelopment works were also completed in Aberdeen, to support the extension of the group’s representation of the Volvo Cars franchise to a now third city in the East of Scotland market area. Our Volvo dealerships have seen recognition of their 2023 performances in the Volvo Cars UK annual dealer network awards review, where our Dundee operations won the regional dealer of the year award and the division was confirmed as the overall UK dealer group of the year.
Our Jaguar Land Rover dealerships in Edinburgh, Dundee and Perth dealerships also again saw recognition of their performances via success within the manufacturer annual dealer network awards review, with the latter again winning the overall Land Rover dealer of the year award. As the highlight within a total of eight awards, we were also delighted to see the Pentland Motor Company again confirmed as the Land Rover UK dealer group of the year award, for a now third consecutive year. With planning permission delays now resolved, the acquisition of a freehold property in Stirling has been agreed to support the relocation of a Land Rover franchise.
This year, we have acquired a site in Aberdeen to support 2024 expansion of a Skoda Seat and Cupra dealership, as well as a further high-profile property in Dundee, which is currently being redeveloped to represent a range of Volkswagen Group franchises.
Looking ahead at 2024 ..Chris Clark, Group Managing Director commented:
“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.”
