Northern Ireland’s David Prentice BMW Mini dealership is set to continue trading with under a new name and "strong backing from BMW/Mini" after entering administration.

The David Prentice (Cars) Ltd entered administration last week, with Tom Keenan and Scott Murray of Keenan CF have been appointed as joint administrators, but has remained open and will continue to trade, The Irish News has reported.

Speaking to the newspaper about new company Prentice Portadown Limited, which is expected to continue operating from David Prentice's existing showroom at Carn, Portadown, managing director Joanne Houston said: “Our chief concern has been our staff, our customers and our brand as a premier car dealership in Northern Ireland for over 30 years.

"The establishment of this new company means that all of our staff will be retained and with strong backing from BMW/Mini, our products and services for our customers will be as good, if not better than ever."

All 65 staff members have been transferred over to new company, along with the BMW and Mini franchises.

David Prentice had traded as separate businesses David Prentice Portadown and David Prentice Omagh until the two divisions were merged in 2013.

The company’s latest accounts – for the year to December 31 – showed that the business made pre-tax profits of £11,580 against a turnover of £32.3m.