Redditch's MG Rover franchise is to change hands with Clarks Motor Services taking over from Startin on Friday, August 3.

Clarks' ability to hold large numbers of new and used vehicle stock at its PDI centre in Bromsgrove will free up space at the Redditch site and enable the group to examine additional franchise opportunities on the site.

Doug Clark, chairman of Clarks Motor Services which has dealerships across north Worcestershire and the Black Country, said that all 52 staff at the 2.5 acre site on Washford Drive, Park Farm South, Redditch, would be offered continuous employment with the Clarks group.

"We have been developing our strategy, which has included recruiting our managing director Dennis Webb, over the past four years and by bringing Redditch into the Clarks network, we can now offer unparalleled coverage of north Worcestershire and south Birmingham," he said.

Last year Mr Clark recruited former Hartwell operations director and chartered accountant Dennis Webb as managing director to oversee the day-to-day running of Clarks Motor Services while he looked for expansion and further franchise opportunities.

Clarks will now have 10 operational sites across Redditch, Bromsgrove, Marlbrook, Kidderminster, Stourbridge, Halesowen and Rednal, selling MG Rover, Honda, Toyota and Volkswagen cars.

As well as the dealerships, Clarks Motor Services Rednal Ltd includes an accident repair centre at Longbridge and a PDI (pre-delivery inspection) centre at Silver Birches Business Park, Bromsgrove, which processes around 5,000 new and used vehicles per year.

Other group interests, controlled by Mr Clark, includes the BMW Motorcycles dealership based at Rednal which covers the Midlands, a property division, the Silver Birches Business Park and a Jet filling station at Lynwood.

The Redditch acquisition - for an undisclosed sum - will take group turnover to over £60 million per annum with around 450 employees.