A HUGE car dealership is set to shut after 20 years, with “no plans” to reopen.
The shop is a victim of the cutting of ties between a major manufacturer and a big-name retail franchise.
GoogleBarretts Citroen and DS Automotives in Canterbury, Kent, are being forced to close[/caption]
Motors giant Citroen has announced that it will no longer supply dealership franchise Barretts with its cars.
This means that Barretts showrooms will not contain the French brand’s popular models and two of their dedicated Citroen dealers will be forced to close.
The affected stores are Barretts Citroen and DS Automotives in Canterbury, Kent.
Both will shut their doors for the final time on September 15.
The 21 people employed across the franchise will be let go in a blow to the local community.
Barretts are reported to be “not happy about” the closure.
Moreover, there are understood to be “no plans” for the sites at the moment, but the company is “looking for opportunities”.
Paul Barrett, director of Barretts Group, told Kent Online: “We have not renewed our contract with Citroen, so will no longer be providing sales or after-sale services.
“We have therefore taken the decision to close the business.
“Regrettably, there will be a small number of redundancies.
“We would like to thank all our customers for the support they have given us over 20 odd years.”
He confirmed that existing customers have been told where they can have their cars serviced now that the dealership is closing.
However, he refused to be drawn on the reason for the failure of the two companies to renew their contract.
It comes after another dealership chain, this time with 58 branches across the UK, closed one of its most popular garages, leaving drivers devastated.
Meanwhile, The Sun Online ran through the 25 cars from major brands that won’t make it into next year after being discontinued.