TrustFord has continued its expansion into wholesale parts sales with the opening of a new PartsPlus centre in Preston.

The creation of the £800,000, 8,500 square foot facility will sell trade parts directly to franchise groups, independent repairers and body shops, offering Ford, Motorcraft and Omnicraft products and is capable of delivering orders in under an hour to regular customers located within a 30 minute drive.

The new site represents another significant investment in the North West following TrustFord’s opening of a Quick Lane fast fit aftersales facility in Preston during August.

It also comes as part of a strategic move to diversify the Ford of Britain-owned business’ operations.

TrustFord’s chairman and chief executive, Stuart Foulds, said: “I‘m very proud to see these two new sites open.

“This investment demonstrates our commitment to supporting the local economy of the North West with the creation of 19 new jobs.

“At TrustFord, we’re committed to driving the standard in customer care, and these new facilities will help our colleagues deliver the excellence and convenience of service they’re known for to a whole new set of customers.”

The new £1 million, 5,000 square-foot Quick Lane site in Prestwich was created through the redevelopment of a vacant independent garage and car dealership on Bury New Road and has created five jobs for the local area.

The Quick Lane sites will enable TrustFord’s technicians to provide an even more rapid service and repair functions while maintaining its professional standard.

It will also enable them to service all makes and models of vehicle across 13 core maintenance and light repair services.

Four further new Quick Lane sites will be opened in before July 2020 – in Stockport, Ashton Under Lyne, Sale and Gorton – TrustFord said, bringing further investment and employment opportunities.

The expansion of TrustFord’s operations have come alongside a partnership which it hopes might yield the talented automotive technicians of the future.

The group has recently formed a partnership with The Prince’s Trust to offer fifteen 18 to 30-year-olds the chance to undertake free training and become technicians at the new sites.

TrustFord has greatly expanded its network with the launch of none car retail businesses in recent months, adding Ford Parts Plus wholesale parts sales franchises across the UK.

More than a dosen TrustFord-operated Parts Plus sites are now operational across England, Northern Ireland and Scotland and two further Scottish sites are set to officially open over the next six months.