Jennings Motor Group has announced the start on a £1 million expansion and refurbishment that will transform its existing Ford site in Middlesbrough into a flagship FordStore.

Expected to take seven months to complete, construction work will see the existing Cargo Fleet Lane dealership become the only Ford facility of its kind to be launched in Teesside and one of 68 FordStore's currently in operation across the UK.

Jennings Motor Group’s managing director, Nas Khan OBE, said: “These are very busy, but extremely exciting times for the company with a number of future expansion and refurbishment plans in the pipeline for other dealerships across the group.

“We would like to highlight to our customers that during the seven-month construction process and programme of works, the company has measures in place to ensure minimum disruption to the day-to-day products, services and facilities we provide, so it will be business as usual.”

The newly constructed showroom will consist of a 3,500sq-ft extension to the existing site, which currently accommodates up to a five-vehicle display, into a more spacious 11-vehicle dealership.

Appointed to design and project manage the development is Washington-based Focus Architecture + Surveying.

Focus Architecture + Surveying’s director, Lee Sanderson, said: “Located on an already prominent site facing the A66, the new Jennings Ford Store will be a fresh, engaging retail experience for customers, in addition to being a positive addition to the area.”

Throughout the programme of building works, measures have been put in place to ensure minimum disruption to customers.