Member Article

cartime Unveils Rochdale Expansion Plans

The North-West’s biggest independent used car dealer, cartime, is driving forward its rapid expansion plans after announcing today that is has exchanged contracts on a new showroom site in Rochdale. The deal, which marks a £1.6 million investment for cartime, will see the creation of 25 jobs for the local area.

Located on Edinburgh Way in Rochdale, the new 1.6 acre site will be cartime’s second sales operation, alongside its current dealership on Bell Lane in Bury.

Cartime will implement a £500,000 refurbishment project transforming the Aldi Supermarket currently on the site. The new cartime sales centre will enable cartime to stock more than 220 prestige used cars, ranging from BMW and Range Rover marques to more specialist makes and models. The expansion significantly increases the dealer’s reach and showroom space in the North West, taking its total number of vehicles stocked across its two sites to 1,000 cars.

With contracts now exchanged, work will start on the refurb, led by Abode Architects, to transform the site into a cutting-edge used car showroom.

Established in 2012 by Managing Director Matt Kay, Bury-based cartime has experienced rapid year-on-year growth with 2018 annual turnover exceeding £34 million. With a robust proposition to offer a customer-centric main dealer approach to buying a used car, it offers the area’s best prices on luxury used vehicles and a bullet proof warranty.

Alongside the Rochdale expansion, the business has already placed considerable investment into state-of-the-art technology and operations to improve efficiency and drive customer experience, including a new 360° photo-booth turntable, key tracking system, date-driven stock control system and news sales management system.

Cartime’s 70,000 sq. ft. preparation centre, which will also service the new Rochdale showroom, has also undergone significant investment with new valeting facilities and equipment to support cartime’s unique warranty package offer. With capabilities to undertake in-house MOTs, servicing, warranty work and valeting, the dealer retains tight control over the standard of its customer service at every stage of the car buying journey.

Cartime’s founder and Managing Director, Matt Kay, said: “This expansion marks a major step forward in our growth plans, providing a new dedicated space for customers to experience our market-leading approach to the luxury used car market.

“Rochdale is a fantastic site for the business and reaffirms our commitment to investing in the North West to create new jobs and opportunities. The new showroom will really set us apart from traditional used car showrooms. It is located next to other franchise dealers, has capacity for more than 200 vehicles, great transport links and is located just 15 miles from our state-of-the-art preparation centre.

“We have experienced considerable growth in the past six years which is testament to ongoing investment and a drive to set ourselves apart in the used car space. We know that our model is the future of the industry and this is an important next step in realising this vision.”

This was posted in Bdaily's Members' News section by Kirsty Hunt .