Yeomans completes Barnard & Brough Nissan dealership acquisition

Yeomans has completed the acquisition of Barnard & Brough Nissan from St Leonards Motors (SLM) Group.

Its acquisition of the business on Wivelsfied Green, Haywards Heath, West Sussex, takes the AM100’s 66th-placed car retailer by turnover to five franchised sites with the Japanese brand.

The £192m turnover business (2020) now operates 23 franchised locations in total, with Citroen, DS Automobiles, Honda, Hyundai, Nissan, Peugeot, Toyota and Vauxhall.

Commenting on the latest addition to the group’s portfolio, Yeomans chairman and managing director James Smith said he was “delighted to have completed the acquisition of Barnard & Brough Nissan Haywards Heath”, which he said was the longest serving Nissan dealership in the UK.

Smith said the business was a “great addition to our Nissan business in Sussex and Hampshire”.

East Sussex-based SLM Group maintains nine franchised car retail sites with OEMs Lexus, Nissan, Toyota and Vauxhall across Norfolk, Kent and Sussex.

It also operates two SLM select used car centres and a separate used car dealership in Tunbridge Wells, alongside a Fiat authorised repair centre in St Leonards and body shops in St Leonards and Norwich.

An AM manufacturer profile feature with Nissan GB managing director Andrew Humberstone earlier this year revealed the OEM’s plan for 2022.

The brand expects to accelerate its electric vehicle (EV) sales with the introduction of its new fully electric Ariya SUV.

Retailers are also now preparing for the arrival of the new Nissan Qashqai E-Power hybrid, which will introduce a new drivetrain to its customers.

Nissan will launch 15 EVs by 2030, as part of its Ambition 2030 strategy.