CAR dealer Reg Vardy is today expected to formally unveil the latest step in its expansion.
The Northern Echo revealed last month that the Sunderland group was on the verge of snapping up four dealerships from the Dutton-Forshaw Group.
Agreement on the £9m investment was announced at the group's annual meeting last week, and final contracts were expected to be signed last night.
It is understood that three Land Rover outlets in Durham, Stockton and Newcastle will today be re-branded as Rossleigh, mirroring Reg Vardy's Land Rover operations in Scotland.
The move marks the return of a well-known name to the region. In 1901, the Rossleigh name was branded on a luxury car dealership and a repair works in Newcastle's Northumberland Road.
A further Dutton-Forshaw dealership, the Jaguar salesroom in Scotswood Road, Newcastle, will now come under the Reg Vardy banner.
The new operations make Reg Vardy the only official authorised dealer of new Jaguar and Land Rover vehicles in the region.
Dutton-Forshaw's 200 employees in the region are expected to be offered transfers to Reg Vardy.
The acquisitions increase the Sunderland-based Group's nationwide portfolio to 82 dealerships: it has set a target of reaching 100 by April, 2005.
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