The head of The Parts Alliance has hailed the opportunity to safeguard talent within the automotive industry following a rescue deal to buy branches of failed firm Unipart Automotive.

Solihull-based Unipart Automotive was placed into administration after an unsuccessful hunt to find a buyer after which a deal was struck with Parts Alliance and Leeds-based Andrew Page to acquire 33 of its branches including Stafford, Shrewsbury and Wolverhampton.

Based on Birmingham Business Park, Unipart Automotive operated a network of 180 branches and distribution hubs supplying car parts, workshop consumables and garage equipment.

It traded under the Unipart Automotive, Partco Autoparts and Express Factors brands and  employed 1,813 people of which 1,244 have been made redundant including at its head office and at several branches in the region.

Solihull-based Parts Alliance is an automotive buying and distribution group operating in the UK and Ireland and its members trade under local brand names, organised into the Western Alliance and the Eastern Alliance.

Leeds outfit Andrew Page is an associate member of the alliance which now has 278 branches following the rescue deal.

Parts Alliance chief executive Peter Sephton said: "This is a real opportunity for us to safeguard and integrate more industry talent with some of the excellent staff from Unipart Automotive who will be joining us.

"As a service-centric organisation, the quality and calibre of our teams is a vital ingredient in our success, along with best-in-market products, systems and practices.

"This further increases our service levels to our major national and independent customers.

"It is, of course, deeply sad when businesses enter administration as jobs are inevitably lost, but we are pleased that, through this deal, we will be saving over 300 jobs and bringing these into the fold."

The Parts Alliance is bidding to become a £1 billion-turnover company following its buyout by private equity firm HgCapital in April.

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