A Citroen dealership will close as bosses cut ties with the French car-makers after 20 years.

The Barretts branch in Westminster Road, Canterbury will no longer be providing sales, or after-sales services – a decision the company is “not happy about”.

The car dealers also run DS Automotives opposite, which will be affected by the closure as the brand is owned by Citroen.

The franchises, which have 21 employees, will be shut for good on September 15 and there are “no plans” for the sites going ahead.

Managing director of the Barretts group, Paul Barrett, said: “We have not renewed our contract with Citroen, so will no longer be providing sales or after-sale services.

“We have therefore taken the decision to close the business.

“It’s not a decision we are happy about.”

He would not be drawn further on reasons why the contract had not been renewed.

The businessman hopes that he can find his staff other positions within the company.

He added: “Regrettably, there will be a small number of redundancies.

“We would like to thank all our customers for the support they have given us over 20 odd years.

“They have been advised of where they can get their cars maintained.

“We have no plans for the site at the moment but we are looking for opportunities.”

Mr Barrett said he was unaware if any other businesses will be taking over a contract with the manufacturer in the city.

The Canterbury Citroen branch previously had a building in Pound Lane then moved to its modern facility in 2013.

The are other dealers located in Ashford, Folkestone and Margate.

Barretts celebrated its 120th anniversary in Canterbury in 2022 and has showrooms for various makers including BMW, Honda, Jaguar and Land Rover across east Kent.