Johnson Cars invests £10m in Solihull site
Three new car dealerships, including flagship Volkswagen and Volvo showrooms, are set to open in Solihull.
Redditch-based Johnson Cars has bought the former Dave & Busters restaurant site on Stratford Road, where the trio of dealerships will be based.
The company said it invested £10m in the acquisition of the site.
Johnsons Cars said it will now refurbish the building, with work due to start on site in November. When finished, it will house three showrooms including a 30-car Volkswagen dealership.
Property agent Colliers International acquired the four-acre site, which includes a 50,000 sq ft building, from Gallagher Developments on behalf of Johnsons Cars.
The building has lain vacant for ten years, since the closure of Dave & Busters. It had previously received planning consent for a B&Q warehouse and was earmarked as a potential location for a new casino.
John Roberts, a director in Colliers International’s automotive and roadside team in Birmingham, said: "This particular stretch of the Stratford Road is well known as a centre of vehicle retailing in the West Midlands, with Audi, Honda, Toyota, Land Rover, BMW and Porsche already well established in the area.
"Johnsons Cars and the addition of a Volkswagen dealership will further enhance the area’s growing reputation as a destination for new and used cars."
The company operates 21 dealerships in 15 locations across the UK, including existing Volkswagen dealerships in Birmingham city centre, Solihull, Sutton Coldfield and Tamworth.
