TV star Mike Brewer says 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 ever-popular Wheeler Dealers, 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 to follow…
