RMB have agreed the purchase of a four-acre site on Yarm Road, Darlington for the development of a state-of-the-art Toyota Centre, a new all makes van centre plus a new Renault & Dacia Centre. This will replace the temporary facility on McMullen Road.
The Managing Director of RMB Robert Bennett, says “Since being awarded the Renault and Dacia franchises for Darlington & Northallerton we have been working on ideas for a redevelopment on McMullen Road. Towards the end of last year, we realised that a move to Yarm Road was going to be the best prospect for the business, due to the ongoing growth in our Toyota business but also the fantastic prospects for our Renault and Dacia business. Since opening our Renault Northallerton showroom in 2015 and expanding a temporary facility in Darlington, we have been amazed at the interest there has been in Renault & Dacia, who have recently been awarded Franchise of the Year by Automotive Management Magazine."
Bennett goes on to say “Toyota
and Renault both have some exciting and ground breaking products in the
alternative fuel segment and have some of Europe’s best selling vans and
pickups. I am also excited by the focus Renault has on their sport models and
recent return to Formula 1, which should be great for the brand image. As part
of the new development we will also be incorporating a new Renault Sport Centre
which will be one of only 28 in the UK specialising in Renault Sport cars. There
will also be a Business User Centre which will cater for all business users
needs in the North of England”
Plans which will soon be
submitted to Darlington Planning for consideration will include the building of
two dealerships and a dedicated display area for vans. The new site is just
half a mile from the existing dealership on McMullen Road, which will continue
to be operated as a dealership though it is not known with what franchise at
this stage.
The new site is located on Yarm Road
on the site of the former Torrington Bearing Works, between the Darlington
Retail Park and new Travelodge. It will be accessed from Barrington Way and
will form part of the new business development, which was created by the firm
Commercial Developments Limited of Elland near Halifax. The new development
will result in the creation of a further 15 jobs once all existing employees
have relocated from McMullen Road. It is also anticipated that a further 20
jobs will be created at McMullen Road.
Recruitment for all new roles at
the RMB Darlington has commenced and vacancies are available to view under our
Careers section of the website.