The end of 39 years selling Toyota new cars, as the Japanese brand restructures its retail network, has left staff at Scottish car dealer group Struans “devastated and very disappointed”.
Struans, which has dealerships in Dundee and Perth, was terminated by Toyota in its network reorganisation and will no longer retail new Toyota cars from November.
Toyota GB has granted the Toyota and Lexus franchises for Dundee and Perth to Eastern Western Motor Group, which already has Toyota dealerships in Edinburgh, Stirling and Dunfermline in the East of Scotland. In the West of Scotland, Toyota has appointed Vertu’s Macklin Motors division.
A letter to its customers from Struans’ bosses, John and Struan Robertson, states: “The decision came as a huge shock. We are all extremely disappointed that our 39-year partnership with the Toyota brand has ended this way.”
The family-run business still has sales and service franchises with Mazda and Peugeot, a motorhome dealership, and an all-makes repair workshop in Perth, and its letter told customers that it now has “new opportunities to better serve you”.
It will remain a repairer, with Toyota trained technicians and OEM parts.
John Robertson told Dundee’s The Courier newspaper the termination came out of the blue, adding “There was no warning or discussion”.
Robertson told the newspaper: “We were consistent over the years as a top performer. We never thought that would happen.”
He said it would not impact the long-term future of Struans, thanks to its other dealerships and its strong financial position.
Companies House records show Struans has been solidly profitable – it made a 3.2% return on sales from £57 million revenues in its financial year ending March 31, 2022.
Robertson said: “Our customers have been with us a long time and we’ve been successful. I think this has been a difficult decision for Toyota.”
As editor, Tim is responsible for the media content, planning and production of AM’s multiple channels (AM print and digital magazines, website, social media and contributing to our events planning). He interviews and writes about as many franchised dealer groups and UK divisions of motor manufacturers as possible, to explore the issues facing UK motor retail and understand what solutions dealers and suppliers are using to overcome these.
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