ONE of Herefordshire's leading independent garages has been sold to a national chain.

South Herefordshire Garages, which has VW and Audi dealerships along with a trade parts centre and body shop, is headquartered in Centurion Way, Hereford. It has dealerships and centres across the county, including at Ross-on-Wye and Whitchurch, and supplies parts across Herefordshire, Gloucestershire and mid Wales. It has been acquired by Vertu Motors plc, a major nationwide chain of dealerships based in Gateshead, Tyne and Wear.

The sale has been led by law firm Harrison Clark Rickerbys which acted for South Herefordshire Garages management team in 2008 when it acquired the business.

Shane Powell, one of the vendors of South Hereford Garages, said: “We are delighted to be handing on the business in such good shape and we have been very impressed by the speed, thoroughness and professionalism of the team at Harrison Clark Rickerbys. They worked to very tight deadlines, working through the night at the end, and their attention to detail gave us complete confidence in the quality of their work.”

Arpinder Dhillon, head of business services for Harrison Clark Rickerbys in Herefordshire, said: “We were delighted to have been able to support the shareholders and management of the company from the initial acquisition right through to the disposal. It is always rewarding to see a long-standing client, especially one which is so prominent in Hereford, take the next step into a new future."