Smooth ride for Pendragon

BRITAIN’S booming car market has put Pendragon’s sales and profi ts in the fast lane.

The FTSE 250 car dealer drove up annual pre- tax profi t 22.3 per cent to £ 79million on 11.3 per cent higher revenue of £ 4.45billion.

Chief Trevor Finn hailed initiatives such as its Move Me Closer click- and-- collect service enabling consumers to view thousands of vehicles online before inspecting their reserved car at a convenient location.

It was a record- breaking year for its used car business which grew gross profi t by nearly 11 per cent while profi t in the new sector was up 12.1 per cent.