Burgess garage will end car sales side of its business

Family firm J Burgess is ending its Kia dealership after 25 years, it has announced.

The business plans to focus on the auto store part of the organisation instead.

It says it has little room to accommodate the expanding range of products, including hybrids and electric cars, which are due to be offered by the massive car manufacturer.

The decision means the company will stop selling new and used vehicles from the end of August, although the workshops will continue to offer servicing and warranty work for the foreseeable future.

In a statement Colin Burgess, whose father started the car business in 1966, said: “My family have been in the car business for a long time in Shetland but sometimes things have to change. We are very sad to be closing down the car sales side of the business, but plan to focus on our expanding auto store moving forward.

“We’d like to say a big thank you to all our customers for supporting us over the years and reassure them we will continue to service and repair vehicles for some time to come.

“The Burgess family have been selling cars in Shetland for many years, latterly Kias but before that Simca, Chrysler, Peugeot/Talbot [and] Mazda, so it’s with a heavy heart I have made this decision.

“We were one of the first Kia dealers in the country and it has been a popular brand in Shetland with a loyal customer base. But they are about to extend their brand with a number of new models including hybrids and electric cars. This would have involved a major expansion and we simply do not have the space to accommodate their needs.”

The company employs 13 people at its premises in Holmsgarth Road, Lerwick. Two of those will now face redundancy.

The announcement was made today to staff at the long established local business.

The workshop side of the business will continue for the foreseeable future and they will continue to repair and service all cars, including Kias.

Mr Burgess added: “We would hope Kia would find somebody else in Shetland to take on the dealership and, if that happens, we would be happy to help them in any way possible.”

We would hope Kia would find somebody else in Shetland to take on the dealership – Colin Burgess

Once the dealership has ended, the premises will be refitted to provide improved facilities for the auto parts business.