Benfield Motor Group has added two Volkswagen sites to its portfolio of dealerships taking the total to 30.

Both sites were acquired from Scottish dealer group, The Verve and are located in Carlisle and Dumfries.

The dealerships have a combined turnover of £25m and employ 36 staff at Carlisle and 18 at Dumfries. The acquisition could take Benfield into the top 20 of the AM100 biggest dealer groups by turnover.

Mark Squires, chief executive Benfield Motor Group, said: "Benfield has continued to invest during the economic downturn and we are aiming to make further acquisitions as opportunities present themselves.

“The new acquisitions to the Benfield portfolio are a natural fit for us. We have represented Volkswagen for nearly 40 years in the north east and this gives us the chance to grow our operations and our presence in the north west with a very logical extension to our existing businesses representing one of our strongest brands."

The teams have all transferred to Benfield and both dealerships will sell passenger and commercial vehicles.

The new VW sites takes Benfield’s total with the brand to six.

Benfield operates across the north east of England, Teesside, Yorkshire, Cumbria and south west Scotland representing 12 franchises.