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Inverness-based MOTOR Dicksons Group has completed a multi-million pound buyout of control, with a five-year forecast of £100 million and turnover doubling to £100 million.
The multimillion-dollar deal finalized on March 15 and a five-team board of directors will drive the business forward.
The company was recently founded in Telford Retail Park in Inverness, but its origins lie in Perth. Dicksons Motor Company was founded here through Tommy Dickson in 1957 and operates several dealerships from Dunblane to Forres.
Alistair Scrimgeour joined the organization in the 1970s and, in combination with his colleague Hugh Bryce, led the organization through appointments and franchise acquisitions.
Scrimgeour and his colleague Jimmy Gibson bought the Forres business from the Dickson family to form Dicksons of Forres Ltd in the late 1980s.
Jim Mackenzie moved to Inverness in the 1990s as Honda’s sales manager and became Dicksons Group’s sales director in 2008, and Fraser Bryce became managing director in 2018 and began planning the company’s expansion strategy with his fellow directors.
“Ally, Jimmy and Hugh have been the backbone of Dicksons for more than three decades,” Bryce said. “Over the past five years, we have achieved some huge milestones, such as the addition of the MG brand, the acquisition of Duncans and RM Browns, the award of five dealerships and the creation of our new own brand, CARZAR.
“We introduced Dicksons Parts Direct, adding Peugeot, Citroën, DS and many other parts manufacturers, making Dicksons the largest private original parts property in the Highlands. “
He added that his company is also making progress in its commitment to young drivers. Last year it unveiled its £1 million CARZAR showroom, with the aim of making more cars for young people, and this year it announced that it had decided on 12 young people. drivers in the Highlands, aged between 17 and 24, to have the company take their review exams and pay for their driving lessons.
“We have increased our shop capacity from 12 to 21 ramps and our sales team now sells more than 2,000 cars a year,” said Mr. Bryce. “We also employ more than 80 people in 30 other positions.
“Our four franchised brands – Kia, Nissan, Suzuki and MG – provide us with a selection and I would have no hesitation in saying that we have the most productive franchises that provide our consumers with the most productive selection in the Highlands. “
The MBO has been in the works for some time and the company welcomed Linda MacPhee, Jamie Dunlop and Douglas Laird to the board of directors at the end of 2022, as it prepared to take the next step.
Mr. Bryce said, “I am pleased to verify that on Friday, March 15, Jim, Linda, Jamie, Dougie and I completed the acquisition of the Scrimgeour family business. “While this is a vital occasion for the company, it solidifies our plans to remain privately owned as we expand further into Highland’s automotive landscape. Hugh Bryce will continue to assist the Board of Directors in the future.
Following the sale, Alistair Scrimgeour announced his retirement.
The five-dealership car company currently has a turnover of around £50 million, but Bryce said the company plans to double that amount by 2030.
“We have a five-year strategy to get 100 workers and a turnover of 100 million pounds, and we have already decided to build new facilities to accommodate other plants. “