An auto retailing site in Stroud that has been trading under the same family name for more than half a century has suddenly ceased trading.

Thompson First MG, at Bowbridge adjacent to London Road, is a franchise for the former British and now China-owned brand. MG Rover was bought in 2005 by the Nanjing Automobile Group.

The Stroud business was established in 1972 by Dick Thompson and Paul Lacey as Lacey and Thompson and originally dealt in TVR and Saab cars before switching to Citroen during the 1980s.

Two decades later, Lacey and Thompson became Thompson First (in 2000), which was run by Dick Thompson's son Cameron. More recently, the business has been operated by Cameron's son, Scott, who came into the family business in 2012, with the family finally making a switch from Citroën to bring the MG brand back to Stroud in 2019.

Punchline-Gloucester.com understands customers visiting the dealership for servicing have been advised to go to MG's nearest alternative branch in Gloucester. Enquiries made to the dealership this morning were met with an answerphone.

John Hawkins, boss of Stroud commercial lettings agency Hawkins Watton, confirmed that he has received instructions from the site owners to lease the site, with a potential option to buy it.

He said: "People are all over the prospect after the owner, quite a while back, made the decision to not renew the MG dealership."

The future use of the site, he added, may be negotiable, given existing planning permission for houses, although he added that it was the site owner's preference to let the area as one complete prospect.

He said: "Ahead of the marketing details, we have plenty of interest already. It's completely unencumbered and a tailor-made car dealership, with a showroom area of 4,400 sq ft and a servicing workshop of 1,750 sq ft."

The site would also suit other retailing uses, for which it has great potential, but automotive sites remain hard to find in the county, making it highly suitable for ongoing car sales, he said.

While commercial property activity in the Stroud area was "surprisingly good", he added: "The market is still fragile and Stroud is not in a bubble. Demand is not infinite, so we encourage all parties to do the deal, rather than lose it."

● In June, Punchline-Gloucester.com reported on the neighbouring Ford dealership in Stroud also signalling an intention to close its doors . The dealership, owned by Vertu Group, shuttered in September after 60 years of trading in the town.