Brindley Group increased pre-tax profit in 2025 as fleet sales, aftersales growth and investment in Chinese brands helped offset pressure on operating margins.
The business increased pre-tax profit by 2.1% to £3.30 million within the 12 months to November 30, 2025, as growth in fleet sales, aftersales and latest Chinese brand partnerships supported performance despite a difficult UK market.
The AM100 dealer group’s strategic report described 2025 as a 12 months of serious change for the UK automotive industry, highlighting the arrival of recent Chinese manufacturers and saying the business was well positioned to learn from expanding relationships with brands including Omoda Jaecoo, Chery, Changan and Xpeng, alongside Kia, Hyundai, MG, Mazda and Honda.
Fleet retail sales increased by 33.7% to five,209 units, from 3,897 the previous 12 months, while aftersales gross profit grew by 5.4% and retail hours sold rose to 46,457 from 43,313.
Recent retail sales declined to three,107 units from 3,287 and used retail sales slipped to 4,891 from 5,064.
Despite the rise in pre-tax profit, operating profit fell 18.6% to £3.16m, from £3.88m, as administrative expenses increased faster than gross profit.
Revenue rose 3.5% to £309.4m, from £299.0m, while gross profit increased 2.3% to £21.1m.
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Aftersales delivered strong performance
The group said its aftersales division delivered a very strong performance despite ongoing pressure from the growing proportion of electrical vehicles (EVs), alongside the introduction of recent manufacturers with relatively small vehicle parcs within the UK.
The accounts also detailed the group’s exit from the Volvo franchise through the 12 months after the manufacturer brought forward the termination date following Brindley’s request to sell the business to a 3rd party.
While initially disappointing, the administrators said the move created opportunities through the provision of a chief showroom location and strengthened the group’s confidence in its expanding portfolio of emerging brands.
Looking ahead, Brindley said trading within the opening months of 2026 had been ahead of the equivalent period last 12 months despite continued economic and geopolitical uncertainty.
The group has already invested in its second Omoda Jaecoo location, alongside an extra site for Chery and preparations for the introduction of Leapmotor to its franchise portfolio.
This Article First Appeared At www.am-online.com
