Car dealer Lookers ups dividend after new car sales boost profits
BRITAIN’S fourth-largest car dealer Lookers has hiked its interim dividend by 10 per cent after delivering record profits for the first half of the year.
The London-listed firm, which sells nearly 120,000 new and used vehicles in the UK every year, said profit before tax rose six per cent to £39.9m thanks to a strong performance across both its motor and parts divisions.
The company, which also sells used cars, has benefited from a recovery in the new car market driven by the improvement in the economy.
Total registrations in the UK new car market increased by seven per cent during the six months to 30 June, with total registrations of 1.37m units.
Lookers’ total revenue increased by nine per cent to £1.75bn. The company said that given the strong results it has proposed a 10 per cent rise in its interim dividend to 1.07p per share.