MULTINATIONAL automotive distribution, retail and services company Inchcape plc has continued its asset sales, with the latest move in the UK including the premium Volkswagen dealership in Brentford, West London.

It sold the West London and Twickenham Volkswagen dealerships to big UK group Citygate Automotive.

Inchcape plc, which is a publicly listed company, has not yet announced the sale price.

The West London complex is on a 0.65-hectare site with four levels and 28 service bays, while Twickenham will cease as a Volkswagen dealership and rebrand as a Seat franchise.

It comes six months after Inchcape sold five car and van businesses in England to Group 1 Automotive, three Audi dealerships in the UK, and Inchcape Fleet Solutions (IFS) to Toyota, a major customer of the business and Inchcape’s oldest OEM partner, for $A183 million.

It also sold three outlets in China that ends its financial investment in that country.

In Australia, Inchcape last year sold three Parramatta, NSW, dealerships under the Trivett label with the BMW, Mini, Jaguar Land Rover and Volkswagen franchises, for $112 million.

Inchcape also sold Trivett Alexandria in Sydney – selling Jaguar, Land Rover, Rolls-Royce, McLaren, Bentley and Aston Martin – for $9 million to Autosports Group.

The sell-offs are part of a strategy by Inchcape to quit 16 dealerships to raise the equivalent of $275 million for future use.

Citygate – which represents Volkswagen, Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles, Skoda, Seat, Cupra and Kia in England – now has 15 dealerships. It also has five bodyshops, two standalone preparation centres, a new-car storage facility and five parts outlets.

By Neil Dowling