South African firm Motus has bought Pentagon Motor Holdings for an undisclosed sum.

Motus Corporation acquired Pentagon through the South African’s vehicle division Imperial Holdings.

Pentagon operates 21 franchsied dealerships in Derbyshire, Nottinghamshire, Lincolnshire, Yorkshire and Greater Manchester. They represent brands including Vauxhall, Peugeot, Seat, Mazda, Citroen, Kia, Renault, Nissan, Fiat and Mitsubishi. Established in 1991 by its current chairman, Trevor Reeve, Pentagon employs 1,262 people. 46% of those have been with the business for 5 years or more.

Key management will remain through a transitional period to ensure smooth integration with Imperial’s existing vehicle business in the UK. The business will continue to operate as Pentagon Motor Holdings.

The purchase continues a spate of foreign investment in UK auto retail thanks in part to a weak Pound. Earlier this year Allen Ford was bought by South African firm Super Group, while Penske Automotive bought Carshop and Group 1 acquired Beadles last month.

Osman Arbee, chief executive officer of Motus Corporation, said: “This acquisition is consistent with Motus strategy to deploy capital and its vehicle retail expertise in pursuit of growth and return beyond South Africa. Pentagon is a well-respected and established vehicle dealership group with deep expertise and a strong national reputation. It will complement our existing commercial vehicle business in the UK which has produced commendable results since its acquisition in 2006.”

Motus operates 38 commercial vehicle dealerships in the UK through Imperial Commercials, claimed to be the UK’s largest CV retailer. They operate 193 franchised dealerships in South Africa. Motus also holds distributorships in Southern Africa as well as parts and rental businesses and has a turnover in the region of £7 billion.