Wheeler Dealers star Mike Brewer SHUTS famous car dealership forever with 60 jobs set to be axed
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 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.
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Mike Brewer, famous for hosting Wheeler Dealers, has been forced to close one of his car dealershipsCredit: X @MrsMBrewer
Sheffield-based Mike Brewer Motors has been running for some 15 years and employed around 60 members of staff
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.”
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Brewer also said he was “very proud” of the business which he said had sold “tens of thousands” of cars over the years.
He added: “We’ve employed people, we’ve sponsored things, we’ve raised money for charity and done so many incredible things with that business.
“It was a success, and it was doing well and making money, but because of the changes in taxation with the government it has squeezed the business.”
A statement on the Mike Brewer Motors website said: “After many successful years in business, we have made the difficult decision to close Mike Brewer Motors.
“We would like to extend our heartfelt thanks to all our customers for their loyalty and support over the years.
“We are incredibly proud of the reputation we’ve built together.”
At this stage, it is unclear what Brewer means by “new taxation on staff” although it is likely related to higher employer costs, including the rise in the National Living Wage plus the associated on-costs employers must pay.
This may include employer National Insurance, auto-enrolment pension contributions, holiday pay and added compliance.
Mike Brewer Motors files only micro‑entity (“total exemption”) accounts at Companies House, so its profits and losses aren’t publicly available.
Neither Car Dealer Magazine nor Brewer has given an exact closure date, but the site is already listed as “Permanently closed” on Google Maps.
