West Sussex: Full deal ahead as Snows acquires franchises
One of the leading motor names in West Sussex has been acquired by independent motor retailer Snows.
Portfield in Chichester, representing Citroën, Mazda and Peugeot, is the latest addition to Snows’ expanding portfolio of franchised car dealerships across southern England.
A Toyota franchise dealership is also being developed for the site.
With the purchase comes Portfield Part Exchange Centre at Shripney Road, Bogor Regis, which is 5.5 miles from the Chichester operations at Quarry Lane. Chichester is being rebranded to Snows in the near future following the deal for an undisclosed sum. It becomes Snows Citroën, Snows Mazda and Snows Peugeot while Bognor Regis will be the group’s 10th specialist used car outlet under the banner Too Good to Auction.
Mazda is Snows’ 19th franchise marque.
Along with West Sussex, Snows has a trading footprint in Berkshire, Devon, Dorset, Hampshire, Isle of Wight, Somerset, Surrey and Wiltshire.
Employees in Chichester and Bognor Regis have been transferred to Snows, which employs 800 people and is headquartered in Southampton.
Stephen Snow, Snows Group chairman, said: “We have been keen to have a trading presence in Chichester for some time and an opportunity presented itself. The Portfield name, like Snows, is synonymous with quality and is regarded as one of the leading motor names in West Sussex. With the acquisition, we look forward to providing exemplary customer service to our new Citroën, Mazda and Peugeot customers in and around Chichester and the Portfield Part Exchange Centre customers in Bognor Regis. There are also exciting plans to bring a Toyota franchise to our new Chichester home.”
Mazda and Peugeot franchises at Chichester focus on sales and after-sales maintenance and services.
Peugeot is further represented by Snows in Basingstoke, Newbury and Romsey.
There is also an after-sales service for the Citroën brand; it is the third Citroën presence for Snows, with a franchise dealership in Basingstoke and an authorised service centre in Newbury.
With the new operations in Chichester and Bognor Regis, Snows now has 45 franchise dealerships, 10 specialist used car outlets and five manufacturer-approved repair centres.
The franchises in West Sussex are the latest for Snows, which has been in business for more than 55 years.
Portfield should not be confused with an unrelated car dealership based in Christchurch, Dorset.
