Vertu Motors plc is a car dealership group established in 2006 in the United Kingdom which currently trades under the brand name Vertu. It is listed on the

Alternative Investment Market AIM (formerly the Alternative Investment Market) is a sub-market of the London Stock Exchange that was launched on 19 June 1995 as a replacement to the previous Unlisted Securities Market, Unlisted Securities Market (USM) that had been in opera ...

. The company began trading in 2007 after acquiring Bristol Street Motors, a Birmingham-based car dealership that was originally founded in the city back in 1924, and which had expanded to include sites across the country. The growth of the company moved up a gear with the purchase of the Yorkshire-based dealership Farnell Land Rover in 2013. They were rebranded as Vertu Land Rover in 2021. In 2018, Vertu acquired Hughes Group Holdings and its subsidiary Hughes of Beaconsfield and the company has continued to grow since then with a number of acquisitions both small and large, including major expansion in the South West with the purchase of Helston Garages in 2022 and Rowes Garage Ltd in 2023. The addition of Burrows Motors Company in Yorkshire saw the Vertu portfolio increase to more than 200 individual sites across England and Scotland. The company represents a wide range of manufacturers and now operates dealerships exclusively under the Vertu name following a brand consolidation programme carried out in early 2025. Up to that point, Vertu had operated three separate retail brands but after celebrating its centenary in 2024, the Bristol Street Motors name disappeared from dealerships in April 2025 when they were all rebranded to Vertu; creating one network of dealerships across the country. The Macklin Motors brand, which had launched in 2010 and stretched from Ayr in the West across to

Edinburgh Edinburgh is the capital city of Scotland and one of its 32 Council areas of Scotland, council areas. The city is located in southeast Scotland and is bounded to the north by the Firth of Forth and to the south by the Pentland Hills. Edinburgh ...

in the East, had earlier rebranded as Vertu in February 2025. Alongside the retail side of the business, Vertu also operates a range of ancillary businesses that include Vansdirect and Wiperblades.co.uk.

Dealerships/Manufacturers

Following the brand consolidation, Vertu now operates an expansive network of dealerships that stretches across England and Scotland and which all run under the Vertu name. The only exception is in

Exeter Exeter ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and the county town of Devon in South West England. It is situated on the River Exe, approximately northeast of Plymouth and southwest of Bristol. In Roman Britain, Exeter w ...

, where the Carrs

Ferrari Ferrari S.p.A. (; ) is an Italian luxury sports car manufacturer based in Maranello. Founded in 1939 by Enzo Ferrari (1898–1988), the company built Auto Avio Costruzioni 815, its first car in 1940, adopted its current name in 1945, and be ...

site is Vertu-owned. As of June 2025, Vertu operates dealerships representing the following manufacturers: *

Audi Audi AG () is a German automotive manufacturer of luxury vehicles headquartered in Ingolstadt, Bavaria, Germany. A subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group, Audi produces vehicles in nine production facilities worldwide. The origins of the compa ...

– a single dealership located in

Hereford Hereford ( ) is a cathedral city and the county town of the ceremonial county of Herefordshire, England. It is on the banks of the River Wye and lies east of the border with Wales, north-west of Gloucester and south-west of Worcester. With ...

BMW Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, trading as BMW Group (commonly abbreviated to BMW (), sometimes anglicised as Bavarian Motor Works), is a German multinational manufacturer of vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. Th ...

– a total of seven sites that includes dealerships in

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in Tyne and Wear, England. It is a port at the mouth of the River Wear on the North Sea, approximately south-east of Newcastle upon Tyne. It is the most p ...

Yeovil Yeovil () is a town and civil parishes in England, civil parish in Somerset, England. It is close to Somerset's southern border with Dorset, west of London, south of Bristol, west of Sherborne and east of Taunton. The population of the bui ...

and

York York is a cathedral city in North Yorkshire, England, with Roman Britain, Roman origins, sited at the confluence of the rivers River Ouse, Yorkshire, Ouse and River Foss, Foss. It has many historic buildings and other structures, such as a Yor ...

* BYD – a pair of sites in

Gloucester Gloucester ( ) is a cathedral city, non-metropolitan district and the county town of Gloucestershire in the South West England, South West of England. Gloucester lies on the River Severn, between the Cotswolds to the east and the Forest of Dean ...

and Worcester * Citroen – eight sites that include dealerships in

Macclesfield Macclesfield () is a market town and civil parish in the unitary authority of Cheshire East, Cheshire, England. It is sited on the River Bollin and the edge of the Cheshire Plain, with Macclesfield Forest to its east; the town lies south of Ma ...

and

Northampton Northampton ( ) is a town and civil parish in Northamptonshire, England. It is the county town of Northamptonshire and the administrative centre of the Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority of West Northamptonshire. The town is sit ...

* CUPRA – three dealerships including

Carlisle Carlisle ( , ; from ) is a city in the Cumberland district of Cumbria, England. Carlisle's early history is marked by the establishment of a settlement called Luguvalium to serve forts along Hadrian's Wall in Roman Britain. Due to its pro ...

Dacia Dacia (, ; ) was the land inhabited by the Dacians, its core in Transylvania, stretching to the Danube in the south, the Black Sea in the east, and the Tisza in the west. The Carpathian Mountains were located in the middle of Dacia. It thus ro ...

– nine dealerships stretching from Dunfermline down to

Plymouth Plymouth ( ) is a port city status in the United Kingdom, city and unitary authority in Devon, South West England. It is located on Devon's south coast between the rivers River Plym, Plym and River Tamar, Tamar, about southwest of Exeter and ...

* Ford – more than 20 dealerships including

Glasgow Glasgow is the Cities of Scotland, most populous city in Scotland, located on the banks of the River Clyde in Strathclyde, west central Scotland. It is the List of cities in the United Kingdom, third-most-populous city in the United Kingdom ...

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands (county), West Midlands, within the wider West Midlands (region), West Midlands region, in England. It is the Lis ...

and Wigan *

Honda commonly known as just Honda, is a Japanese multinational corporation, multinational Conglomerate (company), conglomerate automotive manufacturer headquartered in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Founded in October 1946 by Soichiro Honda, Honda has bee ...

– a network of 20 dealerships that includes Lincoln and Truro * Hyundai – eleven dealerships that include Banbury and

* Kia – four sites including

Bradford Bradford is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in West Yorkshire, England. It became a municipal borough in 1847, received a city charter in 1897 and, since the Local Government Act 1972, 1974 reform, the city status in the United Kingdo ...

and

Barnsley Barnsley () is a market town in South Yorkshire, England. It is the main settlement of the Metropolitan Borough of Barnsley and the fourth largest settlement in South Yorkshire. The town's population was 71,422 in 2021, while the wider boroug ...

* Land Rover – a total of ten dealerships including

Bolton Bolton ( , locally ) is a town in Greater Manchester in England. In the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is between Manchester, Blackburn, Wigan, Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury and Salford. It is surrounded by several towns and vill ...

, Nelson and Guiseley *

Mazda is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational automotive manufacturer headquartered in Fuchū, Hiroshima (town), Fuchū, Hiroshima Prefecture, Hiroshima, Japan. The company was founded on January 30, 1920, as Toyo Cork Kogyo Co., Ltd. ...

– four dealerships that include Hamilton and

Sheffield Sheffield is a city in South Yorkshire, England, situated south of Leeds and east of Manchester. The city is the administrative centre of the City of Sheffield. It is historically part of the West Riding of Yorkshire and some of its so ...

Mercedes-Benz Mercedes-Benz (), commonly referred to simply as Mercedes and occasionally as Benz, is a German automotive brand that was founded in 1926. Mercedes-Benz AG (a subsidiary of the Mercedes-Benz Group, established in 2019) is based in Stuttgart, ...

– including dealerships in Ascot and Reading * MG – including a dealerships in

Beaconsfield Beaconsfield ( ) is a market town and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Buckinghamshire, England, northwest of central London and southeast of Aylesbury. Three other towns are within : Gerrards Cross, Amersham and High Wycombe. The ...

and Chesterfield * MINI – running alongside BMW dealerships in the likes of Bridgwater and Teesside *

Nissan is a Japanese multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer headquartered in Yokohama, Kanagawa, Japan. The company sells its vehicles under the ''Nissan'' and ''Infiniti'' brands, and formerly the ''Datsun'' brand, with in-house ...

– a dozen dealerships that include

Widnes Widnes ( ) is an Industrial city, industrial town in the Borough of Halton, Cheshire, England, which at the 2021–2022 United Kingdom censuses, 2021 census had a population of 62,400. Historic counties of England, Historically in Lancashire, ...

and Ilkeston *

Peugeot Peugeot (, , ) is a French automobile brand owned by Stellantis. The family business that preceded the current Peugeot companies was established in 1810, making it the oldest car company in the world. On 20 November 1858, Émile Peugeot applie ...

– including dealerships in Launceston,

Harlow Harlow is a town and local government district located in the west of Essex, England. Founded as a Planned community, new town in 1947, it is situated on the border with Hertfordshire, and occupies a large area of land on the south bank of the ...

and Paisley *

Renault Renault S.A., commonly referred to as Groupe Renault ( , , , also known as the Renault Group in English), is a French Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automobile manufacturer established in 1899. The company curr ...

– a dozen sites including

and

Leicester Leicester ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city, Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area, and the county town of Leicestershire in the East Midlands of England. It is the largest city in the East Midlands with a popula ...

SEAT A seat is a place to sit. The term may encompass additional features, such as back, armrest, head restraint but may also refer to concentrations of power in a wider sense (i.e " seat (legal entity)"). See disambiguation. Types of seat The ...

– including dealerships in Darlington and

Derby Derby ( ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area on the River Derwent, Derbyshire, River Derwent in Derbyshire, England. Derbyshire is named after Derby, which was its original co ...

* Skoda – three dealerships including Chesterfield * smart – two sites in Beaconsfield and Reading *

Toyota is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational Automotive industry, automotive manufacturer headquartered in Toyota City, Aichi, Japan. It was founded by Kiichiro Toyoda and incorporated on August 28, 1937. Toyota is the List of manuf ...

– eleven dealerships that include Ayr and Loughborough *

Vauxhall Vauxhall ( , ) is an area of South London, within the London Borough of Lambeth. Named after a medieval manor called Fox Hall, it became well known for the Vauxhall Pleasure Gardens. From the Victorian period until the mid-20th century, Va ...

– nearly 20 sites that include Hexham,

Lichfield Lichfield () is a city status in the United Kingdom, cathedral city and Civil parishes in England, civil parish in Staffordshire, England. Lichfield is situated south-east of the county town of Stafford, north-east of Walsall, north-west of ...

and Waltham Cross *

Volkswagen Volkswagen (VW; )English: , . is a German automotive industry, automobile manufacturer based in Wolfsburg, Lower Saxony, Germany. Established in 1937 by German Labour Front, The German Labour Front, it was revitalized into the global brand it ...

– which includes sites in

Leeds Leeds is a city in West Yorkshire, England. It is the largest settlement in Yorkshire and the administrative centre of the City of Leeds Metropolitan Borough, which is the second most populous district in the United Kingdom. It is built aro ...

and Skipton *

Volvo The Volvo Group (; legally Aktiebolaget Volvo, shortened to AB Volvo, stylized as VOLVO) is a Swedish multinational manufacturing corporation headquartered in Gothenburg. While its core activity is the production, distribution and sale of truck ...

– across the South West in the likes of

Barnstaple Barnstaple ( or ) is a river-port town and civil parish in the North Devon district of Devon, England. The town lies at the River Taw's lowest crossing point before the Bristol Channel. From the 14th century, it was licensed to export wool from ...

and

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England. It is a market town and has a Minster (church), minster church. Its population in 2011 was 64,621. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century priory, monastic foundation, owned by the ...

There are also used car sites in both Derby and Tamworth that run under the Vertu Motornation name.

Partnerships

Vertu has a range of different partnerships across the worlds of sport and entertainment, both at a brand and a local level. One of Vertu's main partnerships revolves around the BTCC, where the company has backed the EXCELR8 team since 2021 and took up the role of title sponsor for the 2022 campaign, where it secured the title with Tom Ingram. Having previously competed under the Bristol Street Motors name, the team reverts to running as Team VERTU from the 2025 season. The company is also the title sponsor of the MINI CHALLENGE, a role it adopted from the start of 2023. Other motorsport-related partnerships saw Vertu sponsor Channel 4 F1 from 2020-2022 through the Bristol Street Motors and Macklin Motors brands, whilst the Click2Drive Bristol Street Motors Racing team competed in the 2022 W Series season with drivers Alice Powell and Jessica Hawkins. Vertu also operates a number of partnerships in football, the biggest of which saw it named as the Official Car Dealer of the

English Football League The English Football League (EFL) is a league of professional association football, football clubs from England and Wales. Founded in 1888 as the Football League, it is the oldest football league in Association football around the world, the w ...

in November 2023, with the EFL Trophy being referred to as the Bristol Street Motors Trophy for the 2023/24 season group stage and the Vertu trophy for the knock-out rounds. As part of Vertu's brand consolidation, the competition was then renamed as the Vertu Trophy in November 2024. The company also has long-running partnerships with a number of clubs, including Burnley FC, Sunderland FC and Plymouth Argyle, whilst in December 2024, it signed a multi-year strategic partnership agreement with Birmingham City F.C. Previous football partners include the likes of Middlesbrough FC, Hearts and Hibernian FC. Vertu sponsors the Newcastle Eagles basketball team, whose home stadium is now called the Vertu Motors Arena, whilst it has a relationship with the Scottish side Caledonia Gladiators. Cricket relationships with Yorkshire County Cricket Club., Nottinghamshire County Cricket Club and

Somerset County Cricket Club Somerset County Cricket Club is one of eighteen first-class cricket, first-class county cricket, county clubs within the domestic cricket structure of England and Wales. It represents the Historic counties of England, historic county of Somer ...

- as well as a deal with Exeter Chiefs Rugby Club - round out an expansive sports portfolio. Vertu sponsors two entertainment venues; a founding partner of Co-op Live in Manchester and has naming rights over the atrium area known as Vertu Place. and is also a partner of the Newcastle Theatre Royal.

Awards

Vertu has secured numerous awards through the years across its different brands, including: * 2015 – Best Retailer Digital Customer Experience, Auto Trader Click Awards * 2016 – Best Retailer Group, Jaguar UK Awards * 2017 – Motability Dealer Group of the Year * 2019 - Best Customer Experience, Auto Trader Retailer Awards * 2019 - Motability Website of the Year * 2019 – Best Van Leasing Broker, Leasing Broker Federation Awards * 2021 - Best Used Car Online Sales Experience, Used Car Awards * 2021 – League Leader (Worcester), Citroen United By Excellence Awards * 2022 – Group Customer Excellence, Hyundai Motor UK Awards * 2022 - Social Media of the Year, Motor Trader Industry Awards * 2022 - Dealer Website of the Year (Franchised), Motor Trader Industry Awards * 2022 - Regional Retailer of the Year (Truro), Volvo Champions Awards * 2022 – Customer Experience Team of the Year (Taunton), Volvo Champions Award * 2023 – Business Leader of the Year (Robert Forrester), Automotive Management Awards * 2023 – Retailer of the Year (Sunderland), BMW Motorrad MOJO Awards * 2023 – Social Media of the Year, Motor Trader Industry Awards * 2024 – Retail Sales Centre of the Year (Yeovil), MINI Retailer of the Year Awards * 2024 – EV Retailer of the Year, Carwow Inside Line Awards * 2024 – Best Customer Experience: Group, Carwow Inside Line Awards * 2024 – Outstanding Achievement Award (Robert Forrester), Motor Trader Industry Awards

References

External links

* {{Authority control Companies listed on the Alternative Investment Market Auto dealerships of the United Kingdom British companies established in 2006 Retail companies established in 2006