Salisbury-based Foray Motor Group expects to double the turnover of a dealership at Poole, its seventh Ford outlet and the second acquired within weeks from Pendragon. It bought a Dorchester site in January.

Managing director Chris Yoxon said: “The Poole dealership is large and has considerable potential. Pendragon sold around 1,500 each of new and used Ford cars – we expect to double both totals. We can also improve on Pendragon’s 2,000 sales of new light commercials, though probably not double it.”

Yoxon wants Foray’s £70m group turnover to grow to £100m by doubling the £15m sales achieved by Pendragon at Poole.

Around 100 employees are retained by Foray which, said Yoxon, could quickly integrate the site because directors and managers are responsible for sales or aftersales at each site. Foray also has Ford at Andover, Bridgwater, Salisbury, Taunton and Yeovil.

Ford brokered the two acquisitions. Pendragon chief executive Trevor Finn said he told Ford he wanted to sell both dealerships and was put in touch with Foray. “This is not part of our withdrawal from Ford, and I do not expect any more disposals of sites where we represent the manufacturer,” said Finn.

Yoxon said: “We wanted to expand with Ford and this was a fantastic opportunity. We found Pendragon good to deal with.” The Poole site needs some refurbishment and its original name of English Ford will replace Pendragon’s Evans Halshaw signage.

In the 1960s F. English Ltd of Poole was a Ford dealership owned by dealer Colonel Ronnie Hoare who landed the UK Ferrari concession. He started selling cars from a corner of the Poole outlet (four in the first year). The dealership was sold in 1987 to TKM, later acquired by Inchcape.