Peter Vardy will close its dealerships on Sundays in an effort to become one of the UK’s best employers.

The idea to introduce Sunday closures follows a pilot at Peter Vardy’s Perth Vauxhall dealership which began last October.

The closures come into effect on Sunday January, 10 2010 at all of Peter Vardy’s six dealerships in Edinburgh (BMW and Mini), Motherwell (Vauxhall and Chevrolet), Kirkcaldy (Vauxhall) and Perth (Vauxhall).

Peter Vardy, chief executive of Peter Vardy, said: "As a business, we have two key objectives: a commitment to delivering excellent customer service and a passion to ensure our people are looked after and fully motivated in their working environment.

"To get the right balance between these aims I believe it is important that staff should have one day of the week which they can spend with their friends and families. I believe that Sunday closures will help us strike this balance."

Vardy said he was encouraged by the autumn trial of Sunday closures and said it would help attract high quality staff.

He said: "The UK is one of the few countries in Europe where Sunday openings have become the norm for many businesses. As a company which is passionate about being a good employer, we are keen to challenge this notion."