Perrys Motor Group is outperforming its pre-pandemic car sales volumes according to a breakdown of COVID-19’s impact on the AM100 group.

The Northampton-based retail group said that its overall sales volumes had risen 11.6% from April 2019 to 2021 and a 16.3% rise from May 2019 to 2021 amid strong consumer demand across the sector.

Its recent performance is a far cry from year-on-year sales declines of 34.8% in March 2020 and 99.7% in April 2020.

Perrys executive director Denise Millard said: “It’s no surprise that the start of the COVID-19 pandemic had a swift and severe impact on the automotive industry as a whole and that is clearly demonstrated by our decline in sales in March 2020.

“However, the surge in demand for cars in 2021, particularly from April 2021 onwards, sheds positivity for the future of the UK car industry, as we experienced a staggering 4,1942.9% increase in sales in April 2021 compared with the same month in 2020.”

Perrys car sales data stated that the group’s June 2020 car sales increased 7.3% after non-essential shops reopened in England in June last year.

November’s return of lockdown measures prompted another 36.9% decline, however.

Business has been looking up as the COVID-10 vaccination programme boosted optimism this year.

A statement said: “Upon the gradual lifting of lockdown this year, when car dealerships were allowed to reopen from April 12 in England and Wales, Perrys noticed an unprecedented surge in demand for cars compared to the year before.

“Car sales rose by a staggering 4,1942.9% in April 2021 compared with the same month in 2020, while May also shows a 3371.6% year-on-year increase.”

So far in 2021 Perrys has opened three new MG Motor UK dealerships, in Aylesbury, Preston and Huddersfield and a new Mazda UK Studio retail facility in Dover.