The John Clark Motor Group has taken over the Nissan dealerships in Dundee and Perth and is preparing to invest up to £4 million in new showroom developments for the operations.
The Aberdeen-based company is also adding up to 40 personnel to its workforce in the major car franchise changeover.
The staff have transferred from previous franchise holder Arnold Clark Automobiles.
The Dundee and Perth dealerships will operate under John Clark’s Specialist Cars Nissan division, which also includes the dealership for the manufacturer’s vehicles in Aberdeen.
Chris Clark, business development director for the Aberdeen-based company founded by his father, said they were inspired by the new opportunities opening in Tayside for the group.
“We think there is a buoyant market in Tayside, with a lot of exciting developments in the economy, especially in Dundee with the V&A and the waterfront,” he said.
“We are making a big investment across the two locations. We have a very good product and are confident about our prospects.”
John Clark set up a temporary showroom at its Myrekirk Road site for the Dundee Nissan franchise.
In the next 15 months it will open a permanent base in the city, for which negotiations are in progress.
The company has built a showroom at Strathtay Road in Perth for its dealership in the Fair City, and the combined investment of that facility with the temporary and permanent sites in Dundee is estimated to be £4 million.
The company believes there is a viable and growing market for the sale and servicing of Nissan vehicles in the Dundee area, with Scottish Motor Trade Association figures indicating a market share of 5 to 6% equating to about 4,000 vehicles.
Chris Clark continued: “Nissan are British-built vehicles manufactured to a very high quality and with a high standard of supply and servicing support. We think they will be increasingly attractive to the market in Tayside.
“John Clark has had a presence in Dundee for about 30 years, and that is a considerable platform from which we are making this investment.”
The addition of Nissan brings to seven the number of franchises held by John Clark in Dundee, with the company’s range already including BMW, Mini, Audi, Skoda, Seat, Volkswagen commercial vehicles and BMW motor cycles.
In the Perth area the arrival of Nissan brings the company’s dealerships to four, with Jaguar, Land Rover and Skoda.
The John Clark Motor Group which also has outlets in Cupar, Dunfermline and Edinburgh was this year named UK retailer of the year and best retail group with more than 10 sites by Automotive Management.
The group, with a workforce of more than 1,000 in Scotland, demonstrated outstanding practice and performance, reporting a fifth consecutive record-breaking year with turnover increasing 28% to £602m.