Ex-Vauxhall group faces closure with £1m debts

Masters of South London, the former Vauxhall franchised dealer group, has been put into administration with debts of more than £1m. Eighty staff have been made redundant across sites at Croydon, Mitcham, Morden, Sanderstead and Dorking, with the majority of redundancies at the Mitcham site.

The decision to leave the Vauxhall network in June 2003 is believed to have been a mutual one between Masters and the manufacturer – Vauxhall says the territory is now covered by the Wimbledon brand centre and other neighbouring retailers - and is not being blamed as the reason for the collapse. Administrator Begbies-Traynor says Masters had been loss-making for some time.

Masters, the trading name of Plant & Properties, continued to operate as an authorised repairer for Vauxhall, and around 20 staff have been retained.