Wessex Garages has acquired a dealership from Lookers in Cardiff in order to help it expand its Nissan franchise.

Wessex has represented Nissan in Cardiff for 12 years and seized an opportunity to purchase the empty Lookers site, which used to house Peugeot, so it could have a
bigger showroom focusing on the Japanese brand.

The 52,272 sq ft dealership is located on Hadfield Road in Cardiff and Wessex will move its current Nissan dealership to the new site, just 600 metres away, when it has been brought up to Nissan’s current corporate identity by March 2011.

Wessex’s current Nissan showroom in Cardiff will house a new, as yet unnamed, franchise.

The group’s turnover is forecast to be £60 million for 2010 and the new Nissan showroom will add £10m in 2011, as well as create 20 jobs.

The new showroom will allow Wessex the space to display all aspects of the Nissan franchise, including the GTR and the new electric Leaf electric vehicle.

Keith Brock, managing director of Wessex, said: “We can see how Nissan is growing and will develop further in the next two years and wanted to make sure we were able to maximise on that growth.

“We had an existing Nissan facility which we knew in time would not be big enough to cope with new models.

“This opportunity came along and brought our decision forward. The site is perfect and opportunities don’t come along very often so you have to grab them when they become available. Fortunately we had funds in place so were able to act swiftly. Nissan has been very supportive.”

Wessex also has Nissan locations in Newport and Gloucester and in 2011 will have represented the Nissan brand for 25 years.

Wessex has six sites across Bristol, Cardiff, Newport and Gloucester, representing Nissan, Kia, Fiat and Abarth.