Ross-shire Vauxhall dealer Mackays of Dingwall makes move to Inverness
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One of Ross-shire's best known businesses, car dealer Mackays of Dingwall, is to leave the county town and consolidate in Inverness.
While the firm insists there will be no job losses among its 60 employees when it closes its extensive Strathpeffer Road premises, it will “certainly have a negative impact on the Dingwall economy”, according to one expert observer.
Staff will relocate from Dingwall to Autovision on Harbour Road in Inverness on March 28. The premises in Dingwall are scheduled to be sold a fortnight later.
Mackays, which operates the Vauxhall franchise for Ross-shire, Sutherland and Caithness, has already moved its head office from Dingwall to its new home in Inverness. The move comes as part of the car maker’s plans to reduce its number of UK outlets by half.
Company secretary Joan McMillan said: “The whole motor industry is going through a massive realignment with regard to new car franchising and virtually all manufacturers are reducing their number of dealerships across Europe.
“We had a record year in 2021 but it became clear that the manufacturer was reducing their number of outlets over a four-year period from almost 400 to 176 and that the Dingwall garage’s future was potentially at risk.
“The brand name of Mackays will be incorporated into Autovision in Inverness, of which Mackays are the holding company. We will continue our marketing and future contact of existing customers and will have the same Mackays staff that customers have always dealt with.”
Although turnover fell almost £2 million to £16.1 million in 2020, 2021 showed signs of recovery.
Highland economist Tony Mackay said: “The latest statistics from the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders show that 2021 was the worst year for new car registrations and second hand sales since the recession in 2008.
“The industry has been badly hit by the pandemic and the related fall in consumer spending. It is not surprising that Mackay’s need to cut their costs. However, it will certainly have a negative impact on the Dingwall economy.”
