A HISTORIC motor dealership site is being sold as its owner looks to concentrate it operations elsewhere.

Dews Motor Group is selling its site in Brighouse – which it has occupied since 1920 – and is moving operations to Halifax. It said the move would allow the dealership to operate more efficiently within a ‘cluster area’ for vehicle retailing.

Dews, which operates five franchise operations across Calderdale selling new and used vehicles for Alfa Romeo, Ford, Mitsubishi, Peugeot and Vauxhall, said the Brighouse site was no longer sustainable for volume motor trading.

Craig Hamer, managing director, said: “The existing buildings have been operating for 50 years and served us well but we needed to look at a major upgrade to facilitate more modern practices. The cost to redevelop would have been greater than relocation.

“The trend for clustering car dealerships to provide a central destination for customers further supports this.”

The Bradford Road, Brighouse, site is being sold to local developer Gregory Property Group which has submitted a planning application to build 28,500 sq ft of new retail space.