Automobile Association owner Centrica has now given the go-ahead for the disposal of the 28 workshops formerly used for servicing/repair of AA vehicles and fleet customers.

An AA spokesman said the workshops are not located in areas likely to attract the mix of private/fleet business that the company has put at the core of its sales development strategy. Centrica laid the foundations for this new sales focus when it paid £5.75m last year for 129 prime-location workshops from Halfords.

The AA aims to deliver this service through those repair centres – subsequently branded AA Service Centres – which are mostly adjacent to Halfords motor accessories outlets. And although it initially hoped to include its 28 workshops within the portfolio of new service centre outlets – their remote location has now necessitated their disposal.

The 28 workshops are located throughout England – from Gateshead to Burgess Hill in West Sussex - and with a further four in Scotland and two in Wales. They are predominantly freehold sites and range from 0l.4 hectares to 1.2 ha sites – with floor spaces ranging from 929sq m to 1858 sq m. The first of these sites will become available from April next year.