Tuesday 17th July 2018

Lister announces new HQ in Blackburn

Having successfully launched its modified F-Type, Lister announces a new corporate headquarters

---

Things appear to be gathering pace nicely at the resurgent Lister Motor Company. At the beginning of the year it launched the Thunder, a limited-edition 675hp (or 666bhp, as it prefers) version of the Jaguar F-Type, which retails for £139,950. Since then it has been teasing its own version of the F-Pace, and quietly muttering about a follow-up to the Storm.

Now, as part of a £10m expansion scheme, it has proclaimed another step in the right direction. The firm has acquired the keys to the Rocket Centre, a former motorbike dealership in Blackburn, and will turn 10,000 sqft of showroom space into its new corporate headquarters.

The site seems well chosen, flanked as it is by Audi, Mini, BMW, Toyota and Volkswagen dealerships on the same Trident Park industrial estate. Lister will share the building with Warrantywise (the other company run by Lawrence Whittaker, its Managing Director), although it is certain to incorporate a new showroom for its growing lineup.

"It's a brilliant space, excellent location and is part of a large expansion plan we are undertaking. A lot has changed since we purchased Lister Motor Company, we have great momentum," said Whittaker of the relocation.

"Not only will we be creating new jobs in a variety of trades, the new location will be showcasing our newest creation, the Lister 666BHP [which is the first of several Jaguar models for Lister]. The aim with this bespoke addition to our collection was to design and build the fastest, most powerful and luxurious Lister ever made, based on the Jaguar F Type. We have succeeded and only 99 of these will be made. Launched earlier this year, £3.1 million of orders was received in just 24 hours."

While it retains a Lancashire postcode for its headquarters (the company is currently to be found a few miles down the road at Clayton-le-Moors), its manufacturing base will remain at Lister's ancestral home in Cambridge, where the cars are produced at the 20,000 sq ft George Lister Engineering facility, built in 2008.

 

[hyphen]

Pleased that it owned by the British bloke behind Warranty Wise, running it with his son as was expecting it to have been backed by a cash rich foreign or private equity owner, who were after a brand. Explains the strange choice of a blackburn location rather than near production in the South East, as they appear to live nearby.

Assuming they are into cars, as would have to be a labour of love to do this kinda thing? Good luck to them.

Edited by hyphen on Tuesday 17th July 22:53