Bradford-based Sunwin Motors has sold one of its motor dealerships to a firm in Huddersfield for an undisclosed amount.

Hepworth Motor Group has acquired Sunwin Motors' Keighley Road Mitsubishi dealership in bid to expand its operations.

The deal was negotiated by Hepworth's group operations director Steve Brighton, whose father started the family-owned business in 1979.

It will make the Hepworth Motor Group the biggest Mitsubishi dealer, in volume terms, in the north of England. The Group, which already operates dealerships in Huddersfield and Halifax, has a turnover of more than £20 million. It employs 60 people.

Steve Brighton said: "Our operations are focused on West Yorkshire and this acquisition fits nicely into the Group portfolio.

"It puts us into the top 200 dealer groups in the country."

No jobs at the Mitsubishi dealership, which currently employs 17 people, will be affected.

Hepworth was advised on the deal by Leeds law firm Lupton Fawcett.

Partner Mark Appleyard said: "Moving into Bradford was a natural extension for the Group. "The management is growing the business very effectively and we look forward to helping it with more acquisitions in the future."

Last year the Sunwin Motor Group announced record profits of £1.9 million, a rise of 42 per cent up on its previous results.

The jump in profits came after a year which saw the motor group invest more than £1 million across its dealership network - including the £400,000 refurbishment of Sunwin Peugeot in Keighley and the expansion and refurbishment of Farnell Land Rover in Frizinghall.

Sunwin now operates 12 dealerships across Bradford, Keighley, Guiseley and Halifax.

Sunwin Motors is a division of United Co-operatives Limited. he Co-op was formed last year when Yorkshire Co-op merged with United Northwest Co-op.