Weeks after buying its first dealership in Scotland, Vertu Motors has bagged its second for £2.1m.

The acquisitive dealer group, headed by Robert Forrester, has taken over Johnston of Renfrewshire, which operates a Peugeot dealership in Paisley.

Vertu, already a major group in England, wants to build a regional presence in Scotland. This acquisition follows its takeover of Dunfermline Ford in January, its first step into Scotland.

The dealerships will be rebranded Macklin Motors, which will be Vertu's trading brand for all further sites in Scotland. 

Forrester said:"This is the continuation of our strategy to grow a scaled motor retail group across the UK in targeted regions and we look forward to growing the Macklin Motors brand in Scotland."

Forrester said the Paisley dealership, which includes a long leasehold premises, turned over £5.5m last year and made a £100,000 loss before tax.

He described it as a prime retail location. Vertu plans to spend £200,000 refurbishing the site to bring it up to Peugeot's latest Blue Box standards.

This acquisition brings the total number of Peugeot dealerships operated by Vertu to seven and represents the second dealership acquired in Scotland.

In a separate development, Vertu has relocated Gloucester Renault in Gloucester from a multi-franchise location to a recently acquired and refurbished freehold property at a total cost of £1.3m. This relocation will allow for the significant growth in scale of the Renault operation, said Forrester.

The group now operates 60 sales outlets from 51 locations representing a growth of 36% in sales outlets since March 1 2009.