The John Clark Motor Group has acquired Thomson and Potter Skoda, taking the group into the Perth area for the first time.

Based in Burrelton, 10 miles from Perth, Thomson and Potter has held the Skoda franchise in the area for more than 25 years.

Under its new ownership, the business will continue under the Thomson and Potter name and all 17 members of staff plus joint owner David Gilbertson, are being retained.

The acquisition of Thomson and Potter comes just a year after the John Clark Motor Group opened its new Specialist Cars Skoda dealership in Dundee. This now means that the group represents Skoda across the whole of Grampian and Tayside.

John Clark, chairman and managing director of the John Clark Motor Group, said: “Under the ownership of David and Sarah Gilbertson, Thomson and Potter has developed a strong customer base and built an excellent reputation for customer service.

“I am delighted that we have reached agreement to acquire the business and particularly pleased that David Gilbertson and his team will be staying with Thomson and Potter as part of the John Clark Motor Group. That continuity is particularly important in a business whose culture rewards, respects and develops individual talents and also has a strong focus on customer service.”

Clark said the acquisition made sense strategically as it extends the group’s coverage of the east of Scotland from Edinburgh through Fife, Dundee and now Perth, north to Aberdeen.

He said: “It also puts us in a very strong position with the Skoda brand, as we now operate the three adjoining territories for Skoda covering Grampian and Tayside.”

Gilbertson said the acquisition was the best way forward for the Thomson and Potter business to progress.

He said: “By becoming part of a bigger group we can benefit from the managerial and financial resources it can offer to develop the business.”

Thomson and Potter has a five-car showroom and four-bay workshop. With total vehicle sales of around 400 new and used cars, the business has a turnover of more than £5.5 million. No financial details of the acquisition are being released.

Based in Aberdeen, the John Clark Motor Group is the fourth largest dealer group in Scotland with 17 businesses, a turnover of £300 million and 680 staff.

The group represents BMW, Mini and Audi in Aberdeen and Dundee, Volkswagen in Aberdeen and Fife, Skoda in Aberdeen, Dundee and Perth, Seat in Aberdeen, Land Rover in Edinburgh and Volkswagen vans in Edinburgh, Dundee and Aberdeen.