BOOMING car sales, including fleet vehicles, helped two of Britain's biggest dealer groups to boost profits in the past half year.

CD Bramall achieved record pre-tax profits for the six months to June 30, 2002, of £13.3 million, a rise of 20% compared to the same period last year, on turnover up from £495.1 million to £530.7 million.

New car retail sales were up 11% while fleet sales were up 3%. In total the group sold more than 30,000 new and 24,000 used cars. The firm has also acquired several businesses.

Chairman Tony Bramall said: 'We are confident that we have in our acquisition of Quicks obtained a business that complements the existing group to give us the ability to grow the business.'

Rival Pendragon boosted turnover in the same period by 14% to £998 million (2001: £879 million), with pre-tax profits up 17% to £15.5 million (2001: £13.3 million).

Trevor Finn, chief executive, said: 'This demonstrates the benefits of the measures we have taken to consolidate our market position.'

The firm is currently buying back its own shares, using profits from property sales, in a bid to increase earnings per share.