Williams Liverpool, one of the UK's biggest BMW dealerships, is to open a new aftersales department as part of a £2.3m expansion project on the former Tate & Lyle sugar refinery site it occupies.

The purpose-built facility – designed by Multibuild and due to open at the end of March – will have a bodyshop, workshop and parts department on the 2.5-acre plot at No 1 Pall Mall.

The bodyshop – comprising two spray booths, paint preparation area and 11 work bays – will be in a warehouse attached to what will become Britain's first fully integrated BMW aftersales operation.

There will also be a 16-bay workshop, an MoT area and an express service facility. Valeting and wash bays are being built. More than 23,000 vehicles a year are expected to pass through the site.

A standalone Mini showroom is also being created across the road at Great Howard Street. This will boost the dealership's Mini display capacity from three cars to ten.

Phillip Hough, dealer principal, says the investment signals a major step forward for Williams. “We are constantly striving to expand and improve our business and are accommodating the fact that the dealership is now one of the top selling BMW dealerships in the UK,” says Hough.