Harris Maxus has invested in a UK headquarters in Warrington as it anticipates growth of more than 200% this year.

The Dublin-based importer said its new Birchwood Park office will give it "added capacity to increase its existing operations in the region".

UK-based employees will be housed at the new site, which will also serve as a parts depot. A training room will be established at the base for engineers taking part in Maxus’s technical training academy.

Mark Barrett, general manager of Harris Maxus, said: "The creation of a UK HQ is an important step for our business activities and only strengthens our commitment to the UK market. Maxus has become a leader in the electric vehicle sector and our success in this area will only continue as electric vehicles become more and more popular in the years ahead.

“We are currently forecasting growth of 200% in 2021 and have plans to expand our network of dealers right across the UK. The past 12 months have been difficult for the industry as a whole, but we are looking forward to what the next year has in store.”

As the sole distributor for the Maxus diesel and electric range of vehicles in the UK and right-hand drive markets in Europe, Harris Automotive Distributors delivers a “significant” number of vehicles every week to its network of dealers across the UK. Until now, all operations for Maxus UK have been overseen from Harris’s Global Headquarters in Ireland.