Popular garage for sale after shock closure – as major firm desperately tries to balance the books
ATS Euromaster ran the mechanic shop in Blackburn, but the company was forced to reduce its network of garages from 238 to 152 - as well as lay off staff.
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Back in February, it was revealed that ATS Euromaster - a well established tyre service - had earmarked 86 service centres for possible closure.
Just weeks later, all 86 service centres ceased trading and 248 employees were made redundant.
The business, which was founded in 1965 and is owned by Michelin, claimed overcapacity, increased costs and sluggish growth as reasons for the closures.
One of those 86 centres was the garage in Blackburn, based in Pendle Street.
According to the Lancashire Telegraph, the garage has been listed for sale at a guide price of £700,000.
The listing said: 'The property comprises a detached steel-framed industrial unit, configured as a seven-bay fitting workshop with ancillary storage, reception, office, staff and customer WCs with tyre storage above the offices.
'Externally, the unit has 12 marked car parking spaces with an additional two disabled spaces.
'The property is located on Pendle Street, which has visibility from Copy Nook (A678), which runs parallel and leads towards Blackburn town centre in the west and east towards J6 of the M65, one mile to the east.
'The site is in a mixed commercial/residential area approximately one mile east of Blackburn town centre.'
Other sites in East Lancashire, located in Accrington and Burnley, remain open.
Iconic 80s hatchback left to gather dust in a garage for two decades is uncovered... and is worth a lucrative sum
ATS Euromaster's latest accounts for the year until December 2023 reported losses of £13.9 million, compared to a loss of £20.6 million in 2022.
But their overall turnover for 2023 sat at £165.5million compared to £147.1million in 2022.
Back in March, Sun Motors revealed outlets across the country were shutting their doors for good, with confirmed closures in Devon and Cornwall at centres in Plymouth, Exeter and Newton Abbot.
Other closures across the UK have also been reported in Brecon, Macclesfield and Carlisle, as well as in Horsham, Worthing, Crawley, Poole and Lymington.
What's more, Google lists retailers in Dartford and Bexleyheath as permanently closed, too.
In a statement to Sun Motors at the time, a spokesperson for ATS said: "In a UK automotive aftermarket context of overcapacity, increasing costs and sluggish activity and growth, ATS Euromaster intends to review its current operating model and has put in place a proposal to close some non profitable service centres.
"Employees impacted by this proposal are under consultation.
"In the meantime, our priority is to provide them with the best level of support as possible.
"This decision will not impact the high quality of services that we offer to our customers.
"We intend that it enables us to concentrate our efforts on strategic levels for sustainable development, including services around ATS mobile capabilities and the shaping of a franchise model already successfully developed in several countries."
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