Cumbrian AM100 car retailer Lloyd Motor Group has expanded its footprint in the North East with the acquisition of Stratstone Tyneside BMW & Mini.

This dealership, now renamed Lloyd North Tyneside BMW & Mini, is located at the Silverlink Shopping Park near Newcastle and adds 57 employees to the Lloyd team.

The acquisition will also create 18 new positions, including a head of business role to lead operations in North Tyneside. Positions are also open across accounts, aftersales, sales, and operations.

Sam Lloyd, managing director of Lloyd Motor Group, said: “We are thrilled to add such an exciting location to our portfolio and further consolidate our position in the North East and the surrounding area.

“We hope to continue their good work and can assure existing customers that they will be well looked after by our team. We want to thank Stratstone and wish them the best in future projects”.

Lloyd Motor Group’s presence in the North East has doubled in the last year with the acquisition of Stratstone Tyneside, its Lloyd Newcastle Bodyshop, located at Fenham Barracks in Newcastle and the launch of Lloyd Select Newcastle, its newly opened flagship used car operation on Scotswood Road, Newcastle on the former Cazoo dealership premises.

BMW franchise director for Lloyd Motor Group, Gary Bingley, added: “We can’t wait to get into our new location and show customers, old and new, what Lloyd Motor Group is all about. Thanks to our existing BMW, MINI, Bodyshop and Select operations, we already have a strong relationship with the people of the North East, and we very much see this as an opportunity to further root ourselves into the area. We have ambitious growth plans and are thrilled to be creating new jobs and providing opportunities in the region”.

Starting with one BMW retailer in Cumbria in 1976, the family-owned company has now grown to employ over 1,350 people across the north of England and south of Scotland.