Jardine Motors Group has confirmed that it has opened consultation over redundancies as part of a restructure, following the damaging effects of the coronavirus outbreak.
The business is believed to be making 521 redundancies, according to Car Dealer Magazine.
Jardine Motors Group employs around 3,600 people.
The process began yesterday, according to AM Online, and will include the closure of the group’s headquarters in Milton Keynes and a satellite facility in Colchester.
Neil Williamson said: “Following on from the well documented impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has had on the automotive industry and UK business, we have made the difficult decision to review the structure of our operations and entered into a period of consultation with our teams across the group.
“While these are challenging times, our single goal is to ensure we safeguard as many jobs as we can and as a result ensure the longevity of the business.”
Jardine Motors recently opened a Ferrari Approved used car dealership and supercar service in Kent, valued at £1.2 million.
The job losses are the latest in a devastating period for the motor trade.
The group also recently completed its £22.3 million sales of eight Volkswagen Group franchised car dealerships to Marshall Motor Holdings.
Marshall chief executive Daksh Gupta said at the time: “While the acquired businesses are currently loss making, we are confident in their future potential.
“The businesses are in excellent locations that are contiguous to our existing Volkswagen and Skoda franchises and each site is fully compliant with the latest brand requirements.”
Jardine operates from 60 different locations and represents 16 brands including Aston Martin, Ferrari, Land Rover, McLaren and Audi.
Dealer Group Lookers also announced job losses at the start of June.
The dealer group said it would be cutting 20 per cent of its workforce.
Aston Martin, Bentley, McLaren and a host of other car manufacturers have announced job losses recently too, as COVID-19 continues to challenge the automotive industry, alongside many others..
At the time, Mike Hawes, SMMT chief executive, said: “Whilst the industry is fundamentally strong and agile, it is not invincible.
“Global industries are challenged and we need to ensure the UK has in place a comprehensive strategy to support the sector and the highly skilled workforce on whom it depends.
“As the sector strives to weather the worst storm in a generation, measures to drive cash flow, stimulate demand and, above all, maintain our competitiveness are essential.
“Governments must double down on efforts to reboot economies, protect jobs and, internationally, work urgently to secure ambitious free trade agreements which avoid tariffs that add onerous cost and stifle global growth.”
