The new family-run Dundee Ford Centre car dealership will create more than 20 jobs after the company secured £3 million to secure its opening.
William and Janina Short have run Dalkeith Retail Centre, which has branches in Cupar, Kirkcaldy and Edinburgh, for almost 20 years.
They will open the new Dundee Ford Centre later this year, at a new premises on Baird Avenue.
The showroom will open on the site of the former Tesco delivery warehouse, which has lain unused since it was closed by the supermarket in 2006.
A projected £4.5m is expected to be spent developing the project, with £3m coming from Royal Bank of Scotland.
It had been due to open in July this year, with the shell of the building visible from the A90 Kingsway.
And the centre will sell a mix of new Ford models and used cars, as well as vans and a repair garage too.
Dundee Ford Centre to open this year
The Kingsway West area has become a centre for car dealerships in Dundee over the last decade, with a number of new motor-trade businesses opening there.
It follows news earlier this month the Honda franchise would be leaving its home at West End in Broughty Ferry to become Barnetts Honda in Dunsinane Industrial Estate.
Parent-company Eastern Western already run Toyota, Lexus and used car showrooms under the Barnetts brand at the site.
After securing the £3m loan from RBS, Dundee Ford Centre will be able to open by the end of the year, David Short, managing director of Dalkeith Retail Centre, said.
“We are incredibly proud to expand our presence in Scotland with the launch of our new Dundee dealership, which is testament to the hard work and dedication of our entire team,” he said.
“As a family business, we’re built on trust — something which has been central to our longstanding history with Royal Bank of Scotland since the early days of W&J Short.
“We’ve worked together for over five decades now and their support and advice has played an integral part in our growth so far.”
Mark Goodall, relationship manager at Royal Bank of Scotland, added: “David and the rest of the team have built a hugely successful business from the ground up and it’s been a privilege to help them on that journey.
“With a reputation for offering exceptional customer service across their other four dealerships, this new site marks an exciting new chapter in the growth of Dalkeith Retail Group by enabling them to become Dundee’s main Ford franchise.”
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