A LONG-running Ford dealership appears to have mysteriously closed without warning, leaving its customers bewildered and frustrated.
On Monday, November 24, drivers heading to Pilgrims, located in March, Cambridgeshire, in the Fenland area, were stunned to find both the sales and service departments shut, with the service centre locked and no staff present.
Many who had turned up for pre-booked appointments reported finding the gates padlocked and the site apparently deserted – with no signage or previous alert explaining the closure.
Taking to social media to bemoan the situation, one customer wrote: “I had my car booked in today and got down there at 08:30 to find the gates padlocked and no sign of any staff.”
And another local added: “I went and test drove a truck last Saturday, rang up Monday morning hoping to put a deposit down to later find out on Wednesday they had closed indefinitely.”
This apparent abrupt shutdown has left questions about ongoing orders, deposits, warranties and service commitments – which is particularly pressing given Pilgrims’ role as the area’s only Ford main dealership.
As a result, it holds a sizable customer base built up over decades.
Worse still, no official statement has been given from Pilgrims, although local suppliers familiar with the business told Car Dealer Magazine that they believed the company entered voluntary receivership the previous week.
However, the precise timing and circumstances have not been confirmed.
Sun Motors has attempted to contact Pilgrims to confirm the closure and clarify what customers should do next.
The apparent closure comes as the dealership marked its 40th anniversary earlier this year – cementing its place as a fixture of the Fenland town’s commercial landscape.
This comes as TV star Mike Brewer revealed last month he has been forced to close his Mike Brewer Motors used-car supermarket in Sheffield after 15 years – with around 60 staff set to lose their jobs.
The motoring legend, host of the hugely popular Wheeler Dealers show, blames the government for “new taxation on staff” which has made a heavily staffed, high‑volume used‑car operation “untenable”, according to an interview he did with Car Dealer Magazine.
Brewer, who also owns One Automotive, based in Warwick, which is unaffected by the closure, said Mike Brewer Motors had made a “phenomenal loss” in the last year.
He added: “Unfortunately, because of the government – as it’s heavily staffed that business – it’s meant that it is untenable to run any more, what with the government’s new taxation on staff.
“The onus is on the business owner and the market out there is really strong for competitiveness and you need to be really keen on your pricing to be able to sell high volume cars like we do out of Mike Brewer Motors, so we’ve taken the tough decision that we’re going to have to wind that business down – we can’t keep it going.
“We’re losing money and it’s all due to the government and what they’ve done recently with taxation.”
More recently, Brewer has chosen his standout car of 2025, describing it as a “masterpiece”.
