£41 million motor dealership with sites in East Lothian and Borders has new owners

Tustain Motors, which has seven car and commercial dealerships across Scotland and the north of England, was incorporated in 2009, employs 112 staff and has a turnover of nearly £41 million. The sites are also official Bosch Care service centres.

The management buyout (MBO) deal sees David Storey and Brian Baxter, who joined as directors in the same year, exit the operational business and move to a co-chairman role.

UK accountancy and business advisory firm Azets acted on behalf of Tustain Motors. Azets’ corporate finance team on the deal comprised partner David Foreman and colleague Oliver Williams, alongside tax advisory services from the firm’s tax division.

Foreman said: “Tustain Motors is an extremely successful operator in the automotive retail sector, with various franchised dealerships. It was a pleasure to support exiting owners David Storey and Brian Baxter, who have been growing the business over the past 16 years, over the course of this transaction.”

Tustain Motors, named after the retired co-founder John Tustain, is headquartered in Ashington, Northumberland.

In a joint statement, Storey and Baxter said: “David and the Azets team have been a great support helping us achieve a management buyout. From the first time we met with David to discuss the project, we had full confidence in the Azets team. Throughout the entire process, whether on accountancy and forecasting, tax advice or raising finance, the advice, support and handholding was exemplary.”

Lee Humble, head of UK corporate finance at Azets, added: “Tustain has been a long-standing client of ours and it has been a pleasure watching the business go from strength to strength.

“Seeing businesses thrive against the current economic background is incredibly inspiring, and Tustain Motors has strong foundations for a very exciting future with the internal team taking things forward with a renewed dynamism. It’s great to see succession planning for a regional powerhouse and we wish them all the best for the next chapter and look forward to supporting them in the future.”