Lloyd Motor Group Acquires Walkingshaw in West Cumbria
Lloyd Motor Group has added the Volkswagen brand to its portfolio and further strengthened its position with Kia following the acquisition of N&M Walkingshaw Limited in West Cumbria.
The acquisition was completed on 30th April, and a total of 24 new colleagues have joined Lloyd Motor Group. Further investment is likely to lead to new roles being created in West Cumbria, which is in line with the ambitious growth plan now underway.
Lloyd Motor Group has always had a strong presence in West Cumbria. It was founded in 1976 with Lloyd Cockermouth BMW, which still operates there alongside Lloyd Cockermouth MINI. The acquisition of Walkingshaw boosts the Group’s offering in West Cumbria with Volkswagen and Kia and provides ongoing growth and career opportunities for the business and colleagues working there.
Lloyd Volkswagen and Lloyd Kia will continue to operate from the existing Walkingshaw premises in Lillyhall, Workington. This further extends the Group’s footprint across Cumbria, with Lloyd Kia sites already operating from Carlisle and a new Lloyd Kia South Lakes site under construction in Levens, South Cumbria.
Andy Walkingshaw, Managing Director of Walkingshaw, said:
“The business has been part of our family for almost 56 years, and serving our customers in West Cumbria has been a privilege. However, with increasing commercial complexity and the market continuing to consolidate, we felt it was the right time to allow a larger group to take the business to the next level. I have no doubt Sam and Bryan Lloyd will look after our customers and our fantastic team”.
The acquisition follows a period of significant new car sales growth across both the Volkswagen and Kia brands. In 2023, Volkswagen was the UK’s largest-selling new car brand, growing its market share to 8.5% and selling over 162,000 new cars. Kia continued their significant growth across the UK, recording the position of sixth best-selling brand, selling over 107,000 new cars.
Sam Lloyd, Managing Director of Lloyd Motor Group, said:
“The two brands represent an exciting opportunity for us. Walkingshaw has been a successful, family-run business for over 50 years, so they feel like a great fit for Lloyd Motor Group in terms of ethos and geography. We’re very much looking forward to getting started, and we wish Andrew all the best in the future”.
Lloyd Motor Group is recognised as one of the UK’s leading independent automotive groups and represents some of the world's most prestigious automotive manufacturers. Starting their journey with BMW in Cockermouth in 1976, the family-owned company now employs over 1,200 people across ten franchise brands and four in-house brands from locations across the north of England and south of Scotland.
