Sytner’s Mercedes-Benz Bristol operation is to make a high profile exodus from the city to a new motor retail park on the outskirts.

The company, owned by the American United Auto Group, plans to create one of the largest Mercedes-Benz and Smart operations in the country at a multi-million pound, five-acre super-outlet at the Cribbs Causeway retail park.

Its used car and aftersales activities are already on site, but Sytner will transfer new car sales, service and parts businesses from its present location at Ashton Gate in the south of the city by next spring.

Cribbs Causeway, north-west of Bristol off junction 17 of the M5, has 130 high street stores and 15 cafés in its mall complex. Bristol Honda has just opened a dealership in the adjoining retail park and a number of other motor businesses are understood to be in discussions with the site owners, Prudential and JT Baylis.

Mike Fellows, Sytner market area director, says: “This is a major investment by the Sytner Group and great news for Mercedes-Benz and Smart customers in and around the Bristol area. It will help to reduce service lead times and significantly improve our service levels.

“In addition to offering a wider choice of vehicles from both marques and more than doubling our vehicle servicing capability, we will be creating new job opportunities in a variety of areas.”

On completion, Sytner’s Cribbs Causeway development will have showroom space for up to 18 new Mercedes and six Smart models. Capacity for used vehicles will rise from 80 to 125 and the number of workbays will more than double from 14 to 30.

Plans for the dealership include a café, boutique, children’s play area and business lounge where visitors can continue their work while their cars are being serviced – although they can also choose to watch technicians at work from a viewing platform over the service department.

Customer parking will be greatly increased as a result of an integral multi-storey car park. The Cripps Causeway mall has John Lewis, Marks & Spencer, Morrisons, WH Smith, Boots and BHS as its headline stores, and attracts up to 250,000 visitors per week.