Slaters to close Vauxhall dealership on island:
SLATERS has announced it is closing its Vauxhall dealership on Anglesey.
Staff at the Llangefni site were called in to a meeting on Monday to be told the devastating news.
Directors said the decision was taken with “regret”.
The site will close on March 15 with some of the 10-strong workforce relocated to other Slaters Vauxhall garages in Llanwnda, near Caernarfon and Colwyn Bay.
Slaters said an offer for the showroom on Llangefni industrial estate had been made from Huws Gray builders’ merchant.
This news follows the closure of Slaters of Abergele – which stocked Nissan and Citroen vehicles – last March.
A statement from the directors said: “You will be aware that the entire motor trade has been in distress for the last couple of years and Slaters has recently endured the most challenging and difficult period in its long history. 2018 saw the closure of our sister sites at Abergele and Mochdre drawing a line under our huge pension deficit.
“This was a devastating blow to the group, its employees and the community. As a local family run business we have worked tirelessly to ensure the future of our Vauxhall business and our valued employees.
“This has left us not only looking at our structure, but has also prompted discussions of how we streamline and ensure we have the correct set-up to take the business forward in a sustainable way.
“The Motor Trade, as it evolves, has seen the need for businesses to reduce overheads whilst promoting an online presence giving national coverage for vehicle availability.
“We are adapting and moving the business model to run on just two sites and increase our online offering, whilst still offering dealership coverage across the breadth of North Wales.
“It is therefore with regret that we announce the closure of our Llangefni site.”
They said the Llangefni site had the highest proportional costs of its three North Wales sites. They added: “It is inevitable that our workforce in Anglesey will have to be reduced but where possible we will be offering alternative employment.
“A recent offer for the site from our neighbouring business Huws Gray – one of Wales’s top performing and expanding companies – means whilst we know this will come as a shock for our colleagues and customers, it will facilitate expansion of another local business whilst ensuring our future as a local employer in North Wales.
“We will do everything we can to support our colleagues at our Llangefni branch during this difficult period and we of course want to reassure our customers that this strategic move does not in any way affect our Vauxhall business’s ongoing commitments to them.”