Taggarts Land Rover Lanarkshire emerges from challenging year to open new dealership

Taggarts has begun the next chapter in its prestigious history in Lanarkshire after opening a new £4m Land Rover dealership.

The new Lanarkshire dealership is in the same location as the previous building on Windmillhill Street, Motherwell, but is far more than a refurbishment and is a complete re-build of the site.

The development follows a challenging year for the dealership, which suffered an arson attack during its stay at a nearby temporary site, resulting in 17 cars being damaged and an estimated loss of approximately £850,000.

The incident left the dealership with a huge number of challenges to overcome, including assuring customers in the area that it was business as usual at the site.

However, the team are more than ready to put the difficulties of last year behind them as they begin to welcome customers through the doors of the new 90,000 sq ft dealership.

The new building has now been rebranded Taggarts Land Rover Lanarkshire to better represent its customer base and takes its cue from JLR’s Arch design concept. It has space to display 9 new cars inside, with plans to develop adjacent land this summer so that the number of cars displayed outside can be doubled from 36 to 72.

Customers will also benefit from 18 front of house parking bays, including electric vehicle charging points, with an additional 60 bays reserved for aftersales customers. Beyond that, the site has capacity for a further 120 vehicles to be stored on site.

There are also 11 work bays in which to carry out aftercare work, with enough capacity to add a further 3 as the business grows.

Currently the site employs 54 members of staff, with plans to employ additional sales executives, valeters and showroom hosts.

Taggarts Motor Group is one of the best-known names in the Scottish motor trade, having been founded in Motherwell in 1896 by James Taggart and his friend Robert McMillan as a cycle shop. It would eventually be acquired by Lookers in 2003.

Andy Johnston, Head of Business at Taggarts Land Rover Lanarkshire, said: “Having worked through a challenging year, it is great to be able to move into our fantastic new home. Despite the obstacles we have overcome last year, the team have always held their spirits high and have enjoyed watching the new building take shape. I think everyone can say that there is a part of them in this building.

“In light of the current challenges facing the UK market, Land Rover has actually seen a growth in market share. It’s a brand that is heavily steeped in British culture and heritage and I expect to see further growth through 2019 and beyond. I’m excited by the prospects for the future and in particular the opportunity to add to Taggarts’ long history here in Lanarkshire.”