A CAR dealership will expand its presence in Barrow to take over the former Furness Park and Prestige site.

In January Furness Park closed its retail arm after almost 60 years of trading history under the Stoker family. 

Now Pye Motors has announced that it has agreed the purchase of the Furness Park Sport and Prestige site on Abbey Road.

The business first moved into the town nearly thirty years ago. 

It said that vans and pickups have become increasingly important to the business so it needed to expand its sales and workshop spaces. 

Managing director of Pye Motors Nick Payne said: “We are delighted and proud to be able to acquire this well-established and significant building and footprint from the Stoker family.

"We are pleased to able to expand at such an exciting time for the town and the wider community with investment coming into Barrow at an unprecedented level. The area has a very exciting, vibrant and secure future.”

READ MORE: Sadness as Furness Park proposes to close to public

Glenn Stoker, from Furness Park Sport and Prestige, said: "We are absolutely delighted that the site will remain in a local family business’s hand and wish the Pye team every success in the future." 

It is likely to be a couple of months before the Pye and Ford Brand operate from the site as work is required to prepare it for its new future. 

Pye Motors said that its existing site in Barrow on James Freel Close will remain in the group and news on that site will be announced in due course.

Furness Park was established as a motor dealership by Alan Stoker in 1966. He opened a car sales, service and petrol station business on Abbey Road. 

The company under the Stoker family said that a change in the used car market since the start of the pandemic meant that it wished to move the business to a trade-only operation. 

11 team members were on the books when the closure of the retail section of the business was announced. 

Mr Stoker said: "Without the volume of suitable vehicles we need to run a viable retail business, we have had to reassess how we might operate.

"Our focus going forwards will be those trade relationships."