Popular car dealership closes down without telling customers – with fuming drivers still turning up for services
A POPULAR car dealership has closed down without telling its customers, leaving them fuming as they turned up for services.
Motorists arrived for maintenance work only to find 'to let' signs put up around the site.
Staff at Thompson First in Stroud, Gloucestershire, informed drivers that the business will be shutting its doors.
One customer told the : "I was shocked to drop my car off for a service and they told me the business was closing.
"It’s such a shame that another business is closing in Stroud."
The dealership was set up by businessmen Dick Thompson and Paul Lacey in 1972 and sold TVR and Saab models for around a decade.
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In the 1980s, it pivoted to Citroen before being taken over by Dick's son Cameron in 2000.
Then, in 2019, an agreement was struck with the Nanjing Automotive Group, which had snapped up iconic brand MG.
Existing customers have now been advised to take their cars to the MG garage in nearby Gloucester going forward.
The plot upon which the dealership sits is being sold by Hawkins Watton's commercial property division.
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Thompson First is the second dealership to close in Stroud alone in recent months.
Last month, the Bristol Street Motors showroom on the same road shut up shop.
And a string of other closures have been reported across the country, including a major Kia outlet in Scotland.
It comes after an expert mechanic warned drivers over a major mistake to avoid at petrol stations.
Meanwhile, a car cleaning whizz revealed a £2.89 Tesco favourite that will leave your motor sparkling.