F&I Management & Training

Pendragon has closed its Stratstone Volvo dealership in Reading with the loss of 30 jobs.

The London Road site closed its doors on Friday after nearly 28 years of trading, according to the Reading Evening Post newspaper.

A Pendragon spokesman told the newspaper that deteriorating economic conditions were to blame for the closure.

"We have sustained continued losses at this business for some time and the current economic climate does not make it viable to continue in business," he said.

The Reading dealership is the ninth Stratstone Volvo business to be closed by Pendragon in just over a year.

In March the giant dealer group shut down its Volvo site in Plymouth with the loss of 22 jobs.

That followed the announcement last October that Pendragon was restructuring and closing seven Volvo businesses.

The closures affected businesses in Businesses in Mansfield, Newport, West Bridgford, Welwyn and Accrington.

Sites in Crewe, Oldham and Ilford also closed their sales operations but remained open as authorised repairers.

DATED: 04.11.08

FEED: MT