Staff in Preston have lost their jobs as vehicle parts distributor Unipart Automotive goes bust.

KPMG were appointed as administrators to Unipart Automotive Ltd, which operated a network of 180 branches and distribution hubs across the UK.

Advertisements

They said rival Andrew Page bought 21 branches and The Parts Alliance took on 12. Staff employed in these sites transferred to the new owners which saved jobs.

Unfortunately, the remaining part of the Unipart Automotive business ceased to trade. A total of 1,244 staff have been made redundant.

83 are said to be based in the North West including the site at Great George Street in Preston

Mark Orton from KPMG said: “Despite intensive efforts over recent weeks, a sale of the whole Unipart Automotive business could not be reached, and a buyer could only be found for 33 of the sites on a going concern basis.

“Unfortunately, the business had been experiencing financial stress for a number of years, so the level of cash and further operational restructuring required to rescue a more substantial part of the business posed too much risk for most interested parties.”

Unipart Automotive is not now part of Unipart Group as it was sold off to a company controlled by H2 Equity Partners in 2011.

A statement on the Unipart Group website said : “We were saddened to hear that Unipart Automotive, the company we sold in 2011, has gone into administration. Recent press coverage has confused Unipart Automotive with Unipart Group. It is important to note that Unipart Group and Unipart Automotive are different companies.”