Holden chop forcing Timaru dealership to close

A Canterbury dealership is closing its Holden Timaru branch over the next three months after deciding the business is no longer viable.

General Motors’ announcement in February that it was retiring the Holden brand came as a shock to dealers across New Zealand and Australia, forcing many of them to rethink their operations.

Among those is Smallbone Limited, which has Holden branches in Ashburton and Timaru and has now decided to close the latter.

Craig Carr, chairman of Smallbone, says finding a new franchise to replace Holden, along with the need to find new premises, the need to install new plant equipment and the November hailstorm in Timaru had contributed to the decision.

“All these items and events have led us to the point where we have decided to close our Timaru branch over the next three months,” he tells Stuff. 

Carr did not give exact numbers but says some staff will be made redundant and others may be retained elsewhere in the group. He explains that the level of Honda vehicles it has in stock are insufficient to keep the dealership open.

He adds that the decision to close its Timaru dealership will not impact on Smallbone’s Ashburton operation and services.