The opening of Snows Motor Group’s new Cupra showroom has marked the addition of a 50th franchised dealership to the Southampton-based group’s car retail portfolio.

The AM100’s 50th-placed retail group, which is now in its 56th year of trading and now employs 952 staff, reached the milestone figure with Seat’s recently re-branded performance car marque.

Now established as a brand in its own right, the Cupra brand now sits in a facility alongside Snows’ Seat Portsmouth on the Airport Service Road, Portsmouth, and becomes the 19th manufacturer brand represented by the group.

Stephen Snow, Snows Group’s chairman, said: "Our Cupra appointment is a significant milestone for our business.

"It is our 50th franchise dealership and further strengthens our offering to customers who rightly expect exemplary service and choice in a highly competitive market.

"We have been in the business of selling vehicles to hundreds of thousands of customers over half a century and my late father, Geoff, passionately believed that nothing matters more than customer service as the driving spirit of our business.

"There is further cause for a 50th celebration as we have entered, for the first time, 50th position in the largest 100 UK automotive retail groups in Great Britain."

Family-run Snows has a turnover of more than £310 million and acquired its 49th dealership – a single-site multi brand at Walton Road, Farlington, Portsmouth, selling Fiat, Mazda and Peugeot – just last month. Abarth, the performance hatch arm of the Fiat marque, has also now been introduced at the location.

Following the acquisition from Perrys, Snows now claims to be the largest motor dealership in Portsmouth, with Abarth, BMW, Cupra, Fiat, Mazda, Mini, Peugeot, Seat and Toyota franchises.

Snows operates in Berkshire, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Somerset, Surrey, West Sussex and Wiltshire.