Used prestige car retailer Fortnums has doubled the capacity of its Staines dealership to around 150 vehicles by buying and redeveloping a neighbouring site.

Managing director Alan Meehan says the £1.75m investment is the opening stage of a growth plan which will see the privately-owned business double its total number of outlets to six by 2007.

Expansion will see most of the outlets opened along the M25 corridor, although Meehan also wishes to open a site in Dublin, which he describes as “a soft market” for prestige vehicles.

“To be viable, all our outlets will have to have around 60,000sq ft of space for 300 cars under cover,” says Meehan.

Fortnums has dealerships in Southampton, Portsmouth and Staines, and specialises in the BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Lexus and Jaguar marques.