Against every measure, Gravel Hill Motor Group is the better way to sell, buy and maintain your used vehicle.
Supercharge our vision to be the South East's largest independent, single-site used car dealership, delivering £1m+ profit per annum and driving towards a £6m+ valuation (debt & cash free) with a 2030 exit.
Gravel Hill Today
A standardised, tech-led, vertically integrated dealership — not a traditional independent running on negotiation and outsourced prep.
The Opportunity at a Glance
Click into any section for the detail behind the headline numbers.
Defining Gravel Hill
How a standardised, Hospitality-led, tech-enabled model differs from a traditional independent dealer.
The Journey so far
From an industrial warehouse in 2024 to a 250-vehicle forecourt by 2030.
Sales Performance
£5.6m gross income over 7 months, 38% lead-to-sale conversion.
Purchasing & Stock
Multi-channel sourcing, 8.5x stock turnover, 45 days average in stock.
Operational Excellence
95% health-checked and pre-sale inspected within 3 days of purchase.
Financial Projections
£7.8m revenue last year, forecast to £23.7m over the next 16 months.
The Investment Ask
£2.15m growth investment, secured against land and vehicle assets.
Meet the Team
An ownership and management structure built to scale beyond the founders.
At a Glance
The Site
- Glass showroom & freehold site
- 70-vehicle forecourt
- Integrated 5-bay service workshop
- MOT station & detailing facility
- West Street, Havant, Hampshire PO9 1LT
The Market
- 40,000 used cars bought & sold in Portsmouth (PO postcode) each year
- Targeting 5% market share
- Sustainable multi-channel sourcing
The Structure
- Management structure separate from ownership
- 5 ownership directors, 2 senior managers, 17 staff today
- Growing to 26 staff by the 2030 forecast
Defining Gravel Hill
Unlike independent dealers still running on negotiation, outsourced prep, and inconsistent processes, Gravel Hill operates a standardised, hospitality-led, tech-enabled, vertically integrated model — sustainably sourced, quality-controlled, and built for higher margin per unit at scale.
Independent Dealers vs. Gravel Hill
Gravel Hill offers a superior digital & physical experience to its competitors.
| Dimension | Independent Traditional Dealers | Gravel Hill Motor Group |
|---|---|---|
| Pricing | Negotiation-based, inconsistent pricing, dependent on individual salesperson | Dynamic pricing, no negotiation — set at point of sale, adjusted to market data |
| Customer experience | Transactional, sales-led, variable by lot/staff | Hospitality-led — consistent, service-first experience. Underpinned by a business-wide CARE framework. |
| Sourcing | Reliant on local auctions/trade-ins, limited reach, no sustainability lens | Competitive and sustainable sourcing across multiple channels — stronger buy-in position, responsibly sourced stock |
| Prep & quality control | Outsourced prep, inconsistent standards, little oversight | Full control of the preparation process — integrated workshop + detailing facility, quality assured on every unit |
| Unit economics | Volume-driven, thin, inconsistent margins | High profit per unit — margin-led, disciplined model |
| Digital/tech | Minimal digital presence, manual processes | Tech/digital-led — modern, consistent buying journey |
What Makes Gravel Hill Different
- Vertically integrated, not outsourced — sourcing, prep, sales and aftersales all sit under one roof, on one freehold site, under one management structure.
- Standardised, not negotiated — dynamic, market-data-led pricing set at point of sale replaces the inconsistency of salesperson-led negotiation.
- Built for margin per unit, not volume alone — a disciplined buying process and full control of reconditioning protects unit economics as the business scales.
- Management separate from ownership — the business already runs on a structure built to scale beyond the founding team, not one reliant on owner-operators.
The Journey so far
From a single industrial warehouse to a freehold glass showroom with an integrated workshop — and, with this investment, on to a 250-vehicle forecourt.
The Starting Point
- Industrial warehouse
- 40-vehicle inventory @ avg £5,600 purchase price (total stock value c.£250k)
- Owner operated + 4 staff
- Average monthly sales: 35 vehicles
- Monthly profit before tax: £10k
Where We Are Now
- Glass showroom, 70-vehicle forecourt, integrated 5-bay service workshop, MOT station, detailing facility (freehold)
- 90-vehicle inventory @ avg £8,150 purchase price (total stock value c.£800k)
- Management structure separate from ownership + 17 staff
- Average monthly sales: 70 vehicles @ £1,493 profit per unit
- Average monthly profit before tax: £22k
Post-Investment
- Dominant online presence for the PO postcode — targeting 5% of the 40,000 used cars bought & sold in Portsmouth each year
- Glass showroom, 250-vehicle forecourt, integrated 5-bay service workshop, MOT station, detailing facility
- 270-vehicle inventory @ avg £9,500 purchase price (total stock value £2.5m)
- Management structure separate from ownership + 26 staff
- Average monthly sales: 225 vehicles @ £1,400 profit per unit
- Average monthly profit before tax: £110k+
Growth at a Glance
Sales Performance
Monthly Gross Income
Vehicles Purchased vs. Sold (Retail)
Profit Per Unit
Finance & Insurance
Average F&I penetration currently sits at £90 per sale, with a plan to drive this towards £200 per sale as F&I processes are standardised across the sales team.
Purchasing & Stock
A disciplined, multi-channel buying process that will need to scale from 20 cars a week to 40+ to hit the post-investment forecast.
Sourcing
- Sourced multi-channel: direct-to-consumer, 3x OEM dealerships, 2x platforms — no auctions
- Average 90 cars in stock concurrently
- 45-day average days in stock
- 29 days average to sell once listed on advertising platforms
- 8.5x–10x annual stock turnover
Purchase → Recondition → Sale
Vehicles Purchased vs. Average Stock
Average Days in Stock
Stock Turnover (times per year)
The Ramp — Forecast Volumes
Retail vehicles purchased, sold and average stock held, monthly, across the 16-month forecast — unit volume scales more than 3x.
Operational Excellence
Full control of preparation, quality control and MOT sits on one freehold site — nothing about vehicle readiness is outsourced.
On One Freehold Site
- Integrated 5-bay service workshop
- In-house MOT station
- Dedicated detailing facility
- Quality assurance on every unit before it reaches the forecourt
Financial Projections
Last year's trading, prepared for lending review, alongside the 16-month post-investment forecast prepared for this investment round.
After operating expenses of £751,313, the business retained £99,931 after corporation tax and dividends. Trading was profitable in 9 of the 11 months, with modest losses in December (-£3,711) and June (-£2,545). Performance strengthened markedly from January onward, peaking in March at £37,777 net profit before tax, and the period closed on an upward trend in July at £26,031. Stock levels averaged 88 vehicles, turning over at 8.48x per year (40 days average in stock).
Forecast — Post-Investment (16 months)
Every month in the forecast is profitable, building from £31,785 net profit before tax in September 2025 to £112,188 by December 2026 — a roughly 3.5x increase. Net margin improves from 3.9% to 5.2% over the period, crossing the 5%+ target from November 2026 onward. Stock levels are forecast to grow from 90 to 240 vehicles on a flat, assumed 9.0x annual turnover.
The Investment Ask
A £2.15m growth investment is required, secured against land & vehicle assets. Open to suggested pay-back options and deal structures. All additional staffing and the sales ramp-up will be managed through existing cashflow.
Use of Funds
Existing Loans & Refinancing
The growth investment will sit alongside the following existing facilities we have in place:
- Property — £934k at interest only, 8% PA. Commercial mortgage with Allica Bank against the existing property (market value £1.4m).
- Stocking — £538k at interest only, 10% PA, with a 3-month lead time to pull funds out. Family & friends unsecured loans against stocking (stock value c.£800k).
- Seller note — £200k, issued by the previous property owner to complete the transaction. Interest only at 8% PA, paid monthly, with a 5-year payback period.
We are open to including these facilities in any deal structure.
Let's discuss deal structure
We're open to suggested options on how this investment is structured. Get in touch to see the full data room and talk it through.
Meet the Team
A management structure already separate from ownership — built to scale beyond the founding team, not reliant on it.
Ownership Team
JH
LC
3x company builder, 8 years industry experience.
PC
25 years in the UK motor industry (OEM & independent).
ZC
2x company builder, 8 years industry experience.
BC
3x company builder, 5 years in industry.
Management Team
BS
10 years' experience, ex-OEM & independent sales leader.
RG
8 years' experience, ex-OEM aftersales leader.
Ready to back Gravel Hill's next chapter?
Book time with the team to see the full data room, talk through deal structure, and answer any questions on the numbers behind this opportunity.
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