Having become part of the Ducati Manchester group and reopened in April, Triumph Glasgow appear to have now closed, temporarily if not permanently. I phoned up to book a service in advance and was told that they are not taking on any service work now and referred me to the next nearest dealership which is Edinburgh. The building is now sold and the Ducati franchise is moving to another part of the Hillington estate, possibly the old Ride On building (what happened to them?). It doesn't sound like there are firm plans for a new base for Triumph in the west of Scotland, not for now anyway. Seems like the new owners just wanted to concentrate on Ducati, although some of the pressure from big manufacturers on dealers to invest millions in marble floored glass palaces with a super-espresso machine is a bit ridiculous.
The site-sharing Ducati Glasgow and Triumph Glasgow operation has been declared insolvent and is now subject to disposal as a “distressed opportunity”. All the companies behind this edifice — Rogers, Rees & Robins Limited, Rogers, Rees & Robins (Properties) Limited, R3 Red Limited and R3 Black Limited — formally entered administration on 27 November. Licensed insolvency practitioners Julie Tait and Stuart Preston of accountancy firm Grant Thornton UK were appointed as joint administrators to manage the failed business. And they are now orchestrating an attempt to sell it as a going concern. According to Grant Thornton, the dealership turned over £8.9m in its previous fiscal year, including £4.3m in sales of new bikes across both brands and £2.8m from used machines, and was profitable at operating level. But the impact of Covid across its peak trading season in 2020, which included a three-month lockdown closure, depressed revenue to £5.5m in nine months of a current fiscal year to 31 October. This meant the business has been unable to generate sufficient cash to meet financial obligations to its secured creditor. That creditor, understood to be Clydesdale Bank, was therefore no longer willing to provide support. Grant Thornton is now seeking a business and assets sale “on an accelerated basis” to ensure trading continuity for 15 employees and other stakeholders. I am not sure what the very latest information is. The administrators describe this as a “significant opportunity for a purchaser, most likely already operating within the automotive retail industry, to gain access to a loyal customer base, benefit from a wider geographical footprint and increased scale”. They also point out that, in terms of geographical reach, it is Ducati’s sole representative in Scotland. I am unsure what the latest information is however as little information is currently available, the information above is taken from the 2021 trade directory.
It seems the Ducati side have or are moving to the old Ride On premises which is about the same size as the premises they had in the building shared with Triumph. This doesn't leave room for Triumph and in any case Triumph UK doesn't like the new premises nor any nearby and available premises. The best we can hope for is that the Ducati side become an authorised service centre for Triumph. If not for those in the West its a trip to the East or Carlisle !
Not a good show is it. Same mechanics working on both? My Trumpet is still under warranty for a while yet. Yearly service due this month. FFS.
I was told they would be doing first services but for second and subsequent ones its Embra or Carlisle. My Speedie is due its second service to maintain the warranty.
Well here is the official notification. Arrived today. I would like to hear what SWMBO says when I tell her I will be late back, I was just pottering about the surrounding area and ended up in Newcastle !!
Got the same letter today .....to be honest am still in warranty with bike and was going to travel futher if need be .... my dealings with TG were not the best
Happy with the warranty service from Two Wheels (Triumph) in Edinburgh. Walked/ scrambled up Arthurs Seat while waiting. *Tick*, so no need to do THAT again. Could not bear the return trip on the M8 so got lost practically immediately onto empty roads to the south and then west. Great, both me and bike got absolutely filthy, but great. Final run on the Trumpet this year.
Apparently Triumph Glasgow will rise like a phoenix this summer. Service work available in Hillington Ind Est. Sincerely hope so. I have to say Edinburgh Triumph have been absolutely first class both for the initial sale and for all service requirements.
Agree. Took my Speed Twin there as still under warranty. Went for a walk up that big hill though which was pure heart attack material. Could not bare the motorway on the way back so planned a different route back to Glasgow… immediately got it wrong on the 1st roundabout back and took about 2 1/2 hrs to get home. Was absolutely filthy but still fun. (End of November)
West Coast Triumph (Glasgow) is indeed up and running again, moved to 434 Hillington Road, same industrial estate. Usual good looking showroom, so fingers crossed its a roaring success this time