ONE of York’s best known garages is to close next month after 70 years in business - the last 35 as a dealer for Suzuki.

Glen Garage Suzuki, in Hawthorne Grove, Heworth, will shut on August 31 with the loss of about 20 jobs.

Owner Andrew Curry has written to all customers to tell them the ‘Suzuki management team’ had informed him that they had a new applicant for their franchise in York, who wished to start operating on September 1.

“As a result of this, it became incumbent on us to finish on the preceding day,” he said. “This inevitably we agreed to.”

He said Suzuki had recently confirmed there would be a new Suzuki showroom opening on September 1, and Glen Garage would continue to offer a full sales and after sales facility until the final day of August.

He said that after this date, any servicing, repairs or warranty work that could not be facilitated by the new dealer in York could be done by a dealer in Leeds, which would treat them with the efficiency and courtesy to which they had become accustomed.

He added: “On behalf of myself, Fazz, Howard and all the staff, I can only thank you for all the support shown to us over the last 35 years as a Suzuki dealer.

“It has been a pleasure to meet so many different people and make new friends here in Glen Garage.”

Dealer principal Fazz Ahmed told The Press that about 20 people had worked at the garage but many had already left, with just a handful of staff remaining.

He said the closure had come as a shock and proved emotional not just to him and other members of staff but also to many customers, as the business had become like a family and was part of the community.

The garage is a family business that was first established in 1948 and still operated as a privately-owned garage.

The Press reported in 2016 how Mr Ahmed, who started as a salesman and worked his way up, did not refer to his team collectively as employees or as colleagues but as the family.

One regular customer, Pamela Warren, said she had used the garage for about 10 years, and during that time, she had always found the staff to be helpful and friendly. “Nothing is too much trouble for them,” she said. “But the thing that impresses me most is the fantastic aftercare.”

Glen Garage has cracked open the sake in the past after Japanese executives voted it the best Suzuki dealership in the country.

The Press reported in 2002 how sales staff there had beaten off competition from more than 155 dealerships to claim the prestigious prize.

The firm was commended for its continued improvement over the past four years, and for its sales figures and customer satisfaction.