A NEW car dealership has officially opened in Carlisle with nearly 40 job opportunities promised as a result.

The brand new TrustFord dealership opened today in Kingstown and the event was attended by staff members, senior employees of TrustFord, the mayor of Carlisle Abdul Harid, Carlisle United manager Paul Simpson, and representatives of Carlisle rugby club.

The site opened last summer but this official opening was arranged to mark TrustFord’s most northern expansion yet and to unveil a relatively new car.

Explaining more, Julia Greenhough, marketing director, said: “TrustFord is the largest Ford dealer group in the UK and we opened the doors back in July last year, but we always let the team settle because it's a brand new team, and we just want to get them feeling comfortable.

“Obviously there's always snaggings after you do a new build, so we're waiting for everything to arrive and also to make sure we do it properly.

“This site is going to be selling new cars, servicing cars, and we’ve started developing another transit site further south in Carlisle that will open at the end of this year.

“We’ve got a network of parts vans and we’ve got out mobile service van here which has already been established in Carlisle for a while.

“We’re really excited about being in Carlisle; we’ve got a strong foothold in London, Birmingham, Bristol, Manchester, but we haven’t come this far north before.

“Carlisle is the first step, then we move up to Glasgow and Aberdeen.

“We will open Aberdeen in March and Glasgow in April.”

Chief executive officer Stuart Mustoe said: “It was great to visit our site in Carlisle today for the official opening.

"The facilities and our ongoing investment in Carlisle are a testament to TrustFord's commitment to providing our customers with the best experience possible.

"Our expert Carlisle team and supporting teams have worked hard to ensure that this location embodies our dedication to driving the standard in customer care.’’   

This site will employ 23 people, with 14 people to be employed by the 'Parts Plus' service, one for the mobile service van, and a further 22 once the Transit centre is built at the end of 2024.

Cllr Harid commented: “It’s fantastic news for Carlisle, Carlisle needs this kind of investment and I'm pleased and honoured that Ford has chosen Carlisle as an investment.

“I've been through the showroom, I've been through all the services that they will provide and I think this is great news for the citizens of this city.”