Vertu Buys Hepworth Honda

Vertu Motors is now Europe’s largest Honda retailer with a new acquisition. The franchise dealer group has bought Hepworth Motor Group and its Honda dealership in Huddersfield for an undisclosed sum.

Robert Forrester

Vertu boss Robert Forrester tweeted: “Delighted to announce we bought Hepworth Honda in Huddersfield.

This cements the position of Vertu Honda as the biggest Honda dealer in Europe.”

Hepworth MD Stephen Brighton said he’s “looking forward to watching a great team thrive as part of the Vertu Group”.

Over the weekend, Robert Forrester revealed Vertu total sales were up 50% year-on-year as “the world started to seize up” in 2020. Used car sales were up 95%.

This is backed up by data from Auto Trader revealing most retailers are now performing at 90% of typical trading volumes. It is “testament to the speed at which retailers have adapted to digital retailing,” said Auto Trader CEO Nathan Coe. “Automotive retailing is very much open for business.”