Taggarts puts a difficult 2018 in its rear view mirror as new dealership opens

The new dealership is in the same location as the previous building on Windmillhill Street, but is far more than a refurbishment and is a complete re-build of the site.

The development follows a challenging year for the dealership, which suffered a fireraising attack during its stay at a nearby temporary site, resulting in 17 cars being damaged and an estimated loss of approximately £850,000.

The new 90,000 sq ft dealership has been rebranded Taggarts Land Rover Lanarkshire to better represent its customer base and takes its cue from JLR’s Arch design concept.

It has space to display nine new cars inside, with plans to develop adjacent land this summer so that the number of cars displayed outside can be doubled from 36 to 72.

Customers will also benefit from 18 front of house parking bays, including electric vehicle charging points, with an additional 60 bays reserved for aftersales customers.

Beyond that, the site has capacity for a further 120 vehicles to be stored.

There are also 11 work bays in which to carry out aftercare work, with enough capacity to add a further three as the business grows.

Currently the site employs 54 members of staff, with plans to employ additional sales executives, valeters and showroom hosts.

Taggarts, part of the Lookers group since 2003, was founded in Motherwell in 1896 by James Taggart and Robert McMillan as a cycle shop.

Andy Johnston, head of business at Taggarts Land Rover Lanarkshire, said: “Having worked through a challenging year, it is great to be able to move into our fantastic new home.

“I’m excited by the prospects for the future and in particular the opportunity to add to Taggarts’ long history here in Lanarkshire.”