More than 100 Scottish jobs have been lost after administrators were called in to the UK’s largest independent car parts and garage equipment supplier Unipart Automotive.
Some 1,244 of the company’s UK-wide workforce of more than 1,800 staff were immediately made redundant as a result of the company’s collapse.
A total of 44 employees in five Unipart Automotive outlets in Dundee, Perth, Kirkcaldy, Dunfermline and Falkirk are among those who lost their jobs as administrators KPMG moved to close more than 150 branches nationwide.
The Solihull-headquartered firm had been under the control of H2 Equity Partners after Unipart Group sold off the majority of its stake in the business, which had previously been known as Partco, in 2011.
Unipart Group said it had retained a “passive equity stake” in the firm, but a condition of the sale was that it exercised no control over the business.
However, Unipart Group chairman and chief executive John Neill said it had been working with Andrew Page a major UK car parts, workshop equipment, tools and diagnostics business which had resulted in some of the Unipart Automotive network being sold rather than closed.
“We are saddened by the Unipart Automotive situation and, even though we sold control of this business years ago, we are concerned for the future of the employees,” Mr Neill said.
“We have recently been able to work constructively and collaboratively with Andrew Page and are pleased that they have been able to save 33 branches and around 350 jobs.
“They have a strong reputation for selling high quality products and brands, and we look forward to making available a supply of high quality Unipart-branded products to Britain’s car owners and Unipart Car Care Centres.”
Joint administrators Mark Orton, Will Wright and Jonny Marston of KPMG said the collapsed business operated a network of 180 branches and distribution hubs across the UK which traded under the Unipart Automotive, Partco Autoparts and Express Factors banners.
The trio said they had immediately moved to sell off part of the Automotive business to Andrew Page and The Parts Alliance in a joint deal that will see the former company acquire 21 branches and the latter 12.
The administrators said they had retained a total of 208 staff to assist them in their work, but confirmed the remainder of the business including its entire Scottish operation had ceased to trade with immediate effect.
“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,” KPMG partner and joint administrator Mark Orton said.
“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.
“Our team of employment specialists will be supporting all staff on completing redundancy forms and putting them in touch with job seeker services.
“We will now be reviewing what options are available for the remainder of the business, such as selling leasehold interests.”
In addition to the failed core business, the company directly supports more than 700 independent, owner-operated garages through its Unipart Car Care Centre programme and has 19 franchisees.
KPMG said those companies fell outside the bounds of the administration process and would continue to operate as normal.