A new company has entered into the UK accident repair market. Motor Repair Management, a Surrey-based firm, has 11 shops spread across the UK.

Two of the sites are located in Scotland, four in the Midlands, one in the south-west and four in the south-east. Eight of these have been acquired since July 2003 although the company started trading at the start of the year.

MRM's senior management team was previously behind PSC Consulting, which was responsible for turning round under-performing bodyshops as well as working with other companies in the sector. Now, with financial backing from an unnamed private investor, the company is dipping its toe in the crash repair sector.

Director Tim Connolly says: “Until now, we've been fairly opportunistic with our acquisitions but we are becoming more strategic in our plans. Where we go next is in our own hands.”

According to the company's website, MRM is an independent UK-registered company that also operates in Australia. It works with insurers, bodyshops and suppliers. It's not the first time a consultant has set up a bodyshop chain. One-time Eagle Star financial controller Brian Pursey tried it in 1999, but his Contact Accident Repair group collapsed a year later. Howard Basford acquired six of the seven sites.