JCT600 has bought two Volkswagen dealerships – Layerthorpe in York and Priory Park in Hull – for £10m after announcing operating profits of £12.4m on turnover of £453m.

Chief executive John Tordoff said the dealer network would see further expansion. “Land has been acquired for a new Porsche centre in Leeds and a new Peugeot centre in Bradford – both are scheduled to open in 2006,” he says.

The acquisition of the York and Hull VW dealerships from owner Emily Bromwich to add to Bradford-based JCT's existing VW operation in Wakefield has given the firm three of the most successful VW dealerships in Britain.

"We have been wanting to expand with the VW franchise for some time and this opportunity, which provides a perfect geographical fit, was too good to miss.

"Our existing VW operation in Wakefield is very successful so we now own three of the best sites in the country and expect to be the real force for VW in Yorkshire," says Tordoff.