A POPULAR car dealership which sold tens of thousands of vehicles has closed its doors.
Customers were devastated after the decision which saw the Cazoo dealership in Doncaster put up its shutters for the final time.
GettyCazoo’s car dealership in Doncaster has shut its doors[/caption]
Online notifications say the branch in Wheatley Hall Road is “permanently closed”.
And motorists have reported that telephone numbers are not being answered.
However, it is unclear when exactly the branch decided to shut up shop.
One customer told the Doncaster Free Press: “No idea when it closed, but we’ve just been up there to look for a car and it was empty.”
Customers online expressed their sadness at the firm shutting it’s doors in Doncaster.
One driver said it was a “sad day” while another reminisced about how they had bought their first car there.
Earlier this year, leaked correspondence said the firm was consulting staff on the closure of a large number of its premises across the country in a move affecting hundreds of staff.
Up to 15 of Cazoo’s customer hand over centres were scheduled to close if proposals went ahead, said Car Dealer Magazine.
The publication also said the number of Cazoo preparation centres could also be reduced to three.
The move came as the company cut its sales forecasts for 2023 from about 65,000 used cars sold in 2022 to just 40,000 this year.
Cazoo founder and chief executive Alex Chesterman said despite having sold more than 100,000 cars since launching, they were “extremely mindful of the current economic environment”.
The firm has more than 20 customer service centres.
But last year it confirmed the closure of two of its 10 vehicle preparation sites in the UK.
Founded in 2018, the firm saw a rapid rise, sponsoring Aston Villa, the Welsh Rugby Union, a number of annual horse races in Epsom and Doncaster and cricket tournament The Hundred.
Cazoo also sponsored various events managed by the World Snooker Tour, the PGA European Tour and the Professional Darts Corporation.
It comes as one major car firm has slashed EV production as demand for electric models falls.
Meanwhile, another popular car dealership has closed without telling customers.
And Bristol Street Motors Ford dealership in Stroud, Gloucestershire, also shuttered this month.