Latest news with #Lookers
Daily Mail
15-07-2025
- Business
- Daily Mail
Account clerk who stole tens of thousands of pounds to copy social media influencers' luxury lives is jailed
An accounts clerk who stole tens of thousands of pounds from her work in an attempt to copy the lives of social media influencers has today been jailed. Emma Fairbanks, 32, used customer bank details to splurge out on lavish holidays, weight loss surgery, business class flights and expensive champagne in an attempt to follow her idols such as the Kardashian family. Her sumptuous lifestyle prompted suspicion from colleagues at Lookers, a used Skoda car dealership in Stockport, but Fairbanks had been insistent that her father had helped her financially. However, skepticism grew when she embarked on flamboyant globetrotting adventures to New York and Dubai before purchasing pricey handbags from Selfridges and a £550 spa weekend at a hotel with her mother. And the jig was soon up when a customer at the dealership began receiving letters from debt collectors for unpaid loans which Fairbanks had illegally set up in their name using their details. Bosses then uncovered 55 fraudulent transactions worth around £22,000 during an investigation - but they fear the total amount stolen is much greater. When quizzed, Fairbanks, who lives in a £160,000 apartment in Stockport, admitted the thefts but claimed she had been suffering from low self esteem due to weight issues and wanted to 'live like a social media influencer.' At Minshull Street Crown Court, Manchester, she admitted two charges of fraud and was jailed for 18 months. The thefts began in June 2022, shortly after Fairbanks was hired at Lookers, where she dealt with the booking of customer services, MOTs and repairs. Prosecutor Miss Megan Horner said: 'In May 2023, a customer received a debtors letter informing there had been multiple missed payments followed a direct debit being set up with Lookers Skoda and the outstanding debt was £1,949. 'She had no knowledge of the debt and contacted Lookers which removed the debt.' A financial crime manager at the dealership discovered that details of the loan was linked to a car which was registered to an unsuspecting customer and which had undergone repairs. Fairbanks was found to have processed the invoice, and her work email and texts messages were interrogated, before illicit transactions worth £21,987 were discovered. Inquiries revealed work had been carried out on the vehicles but Fairbanks had been giving customers her own personal bank details on invoices and estimates. She then disguised the nature of transactions by setting up direct debits with the finance car repair firm, Bumper, in the names of unwitting customers. In some cases she emailed estimates to herself before altering details and passing them on for payment. Victims were also duped into paying bank transfers or cash to Fairbanks after she falsely claimed the company's card machine was not working. The court heard a customer's bank card had also been fraudulently used by Fairbanks to book a spa weekend at the four star Buxton Crescent Hotel in the Peak District. Fairbanks was quizzed by her managers but she denied any wrongdoing and police later raided her home. Miss Horner added: 'Several designer items, electronics, handbags and holiday receipts were found. During police interview she said she was subject to council tax debt which she could not afford to pay therefore had committed the offences. She paid off the debt but then carried on offending. 'Her iPhone contained several photos of the defendant at luxury holiday destinations, business class flights, photos of her drinking champagne, Selfridges bags and also pictures of her at the Buxton Crescent spa hotel paid for by the Lookers customer. 'Her bank statements show nail payments, Euro exchange payments, tickets for Mamma Mia! The Party and various social bookings.' In a statement, Andrew Farrington of Lookers, said: 'Emma was employed in a position of trust and she was expected to safeguard the financial interests of Lookers and our customers. 'She was trusted to take payments in a secure professional and trustworthy manner but exploited this by deceiving our customers into making them believe they were paying Lookers when they were making substantial gains for her. 'Her gain has been our loss and the exact amount is not known as we are still going through out records and we firmly believe there more customers who have had their details copied by Emma to indulge in a lifestyle that could never have been funded by her salary. 'She would take a number of holidays and when asked how she could afford that she claimed her dad had been helping her out financially. Not only did we suffer financially but the thefts impacted heavily on the customer's trust of Lookers.' Fairbanks will now face a Proceeds of Crime hearing, where a court will determine the financial benefit she received from the fraudulent activity. Her lawyer Milena Bennett said in mitigation: 'She had expressed her remorse and that remorse is genuine. 'She really enjoyed her job but she had council tax debt and after initially taking the money from Lookers as an easy way round that problem, she got carried away. 'This is a young woman who was heavily influenced by social media unfortunately. She had a distorted image of herself and was following social media influencers. She decided her image was not good enough as she had weight issues and she used some of the money for weight loss surgery. She found it quite easy to commit the fraud. 'She had low self esteem and had no friends and she even booked her 30th birthday on her own to celebrate that. She felt so lonely she was trying to please other people by paying for them to go with her on her travels.' Sentencing Fairbanks, Judge Neil Usher told her: 'By your premeditated sophisticated and determined dishonesty you used other people's money to fund a luxury lifestyle travelling to Dubai and New York. 'One holiday in Italy seemed to have cost £24,000. You bought designer clothes and handbags and you attended expensive spa sessions - all funded by your dishonesty. 'When colleagues challenged you about the nice holidays you were taking, you lied to them as to the source of the funding. 'Every time a member of the public hands over their credit or debit card details to pay for goods and services, they do so entrusting the individual taking this details not to abuse that trust - but time and time again you did just that.
Scottish Sun
30-05-2025
- Automotive
- Scottish Sun
Major car dealership with over 120 locations to close branch ‘imminently' after more than 50 years
Scroll down to find out why so many UK car dealerships are closing STALLED ENGINE Major car dealership with over 120 locations to close branch 'imminently' after more than 50 years A POPULAR car dealership with over 120 locations has announced it is closing a branch after 50 years. Lookers is set to close its head office in Altrincham, after being based in Greater Manchester since 1973. Advertisement 1 Lookers is set to close its head office in Manchester Credit: Google Maps Rumours had been circulating that staff would be made redundant, but managing director James Brearley assured that this is not true. Instead, around 12 members of staff will be relocated to another Lookers site, in Stoke-on-Trent. Addressing the rumours, Mr Brearley told Car Dealer: "That is categorically not true and it's important we put the record straight," he said. "The Altrincham site will be closing imminently but that effects 12 staff all of whom will be moving to another of our site's in Stoke on Trent. Advertisement "There will be no redundancies." Lookers was taken over by Canadian company Global Auto Holdings in October 2023, in a deal worth £504 million. Following the takeover, a number of redundancies were made by the new owners. Lookers was founded in 1908 as a bicycle seller and eventually switched to cars. Advertisement By the 1960s, it was one of the leading chains, alongside Pendragon, Inchcape and Marshall. The dealership was hit hard by the pandemic, and axed 1500 jobs in 2020. Major UK car dealership closes down This comes after another car dealership, TC Harrison Ford in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, closed its doors for the last time earlier this month. The closure was confirmed after planners granted permission for a new retirement village to be built on the dealership's site last year. Advertisement TC Harrison confirmed last month that the dealership would close on May 16, 2025. Happily, there will be no job losses following the closure, with all business activities and staff to relocate to the the firm's Huntingdon branch, just 11 miles away. Why are so many car dealerships closing down? By Summer Raemason According to Business Rescue Expert there are multiple reasons why car dealerships are folding across the UK. The first major factor is rising online car sales which are beating in-person sales at dealerships. With an extensive range of comparison and second-hand sites to chose from, may car buyers don't even step foot into a dealership anymore. Secondly, the actual cost to physically run the sites has soared. Rent, wages and energy bills have all been increasing for roughly the past five years, putting many out of pocket. Car manufacturing across the globe was also hit by a semiconductor chip shortage in 2022 which made it difficult to produce new motors. The high demand with limited supply created a backlog, which although has eased, is still having an impact on the industry. A third reason for recent closures is the shift to electric cars. They are becoming more popular, given the Government initiative to be Net Zero in 2050. The industry is also affected when companies merge or are bought by rivals. This may lead to some independent names falling victim to the ongoing spate of closures. And a huge car dealership with over 91,000 vehicles currently on sale will close within weeks putting over 100 jobs at risk. The German online used car marketplace has made heavy losses since opening in the UK in 2019 when it looked to rival Auto Trader and Motors. Heycar's majority shareholder, Volkswagen Financial Services (VWFS), have pulled the plug leaving more than 126 employees across the UK, Germany, and France at risk of losing their jobs. Advertisement A large proportion of Heycar's employees are based in the UK. They are expected to close in the UK shortly after their closure in Germany, in mid-May. And a Volkswagen dealership in Wirral has also recently closed, after it's owner US-based Group 1 decided it was restructuring, as part of a £346 million deal. A Volkswagen spokesperson told the Globe: 'We can confirm that Group 1 Volkswagen Wirral ceased trading at the end of March and is now closed. Advertisement 'Our focus when any network changes take place remains on convenience and the highest levels of service. 'Customers have been contacted to advise them of alternative sales, service and parts facilities.' Hundreds of jobs are at risk due to the restructuring.
The Sun
30-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Sun
Major car dealership with over 120 locations to close branch ‘imminently' after more than 50 years
A POPULAR car dealership with over 120 locations has announced it is closing a branch after 50 years. Lookers is set to close its head office in Altrincham, after being based in Greater Manchester since 1973. 1 Rumours had been circulating that staff would be made redundant, but managing director James Brearley assured that this is not true. Instead, around 12 members of staff will be relocated to another Lookers site, in Stoke-on-Trent. Addressing the rumours, Mr Brearley told Car Dealer: "That is categorically not true and it's important we put the record straight," he said. "The Altrincham site will be closing imminently but that effects 12 staff all of whom will be moving to another of our site's in Stoke on Trent. "There will be no redundancies." Lookers was taken over by Canadian company Global Auto Holdings in October 2023, in a deal worth £504 million. Following the takeover, a number of redundancies were made by the new owners. Lookers was founded in 1908 as a bicycle seller and eventually switched to cars. By the 1960s, it was one of the leading chains, alongside Pendragon, Inchcape and Marshall. The dealership was hit hard by the pandemic, and axed 1500 jobs in 2020. Major UK car dealership closes down This comes after another car dealership, TC Harrison Ford in St Neots, Cambridgeshire, closed its doors for the last time earlier this month. The closure was confirmed after planners granted permission for a new retirement village to be built on the dealership's site last year. TC Harrison confirmed last month that the dealership would close on May 16, 2025. Happily, there will be no job losses following the closure, with all business activities and staff to relocate to the the firm's Huntingdon branch, just 11 miles away. Why are so many car dealerships closing down? By Summer Raemason According to Business Rescue Expert there are multiple reasons why car dealerships are folding across the UK. The first major factor is rising online car sales which are beating in-person sales at dealerships. With an extensive range of comparison and second-hand sites to chose from, may car buyers don't even step foot into a dealership anymore. Secondly, the actual cost to physically run the sites has soared. Rent, wages and energy bills have all been increasing for roughly the past five years, putting many out of pocket. Car manufacturing across the globe was also hit by a semiconductor chip shortage in 2022 which made it difficult to produce new motors. The high demand with limited supply created a backlog, which although has eased, is still having an impact on the industry. A third reason for recent closures is the shift to electric cars. They are becoming more popular, given the Government initiative to be Net Zero in 2050. The industry is also affected when companies merge or are bought by rivals. This may lead to some independent names falling victim to the ongoing spate of closures. And a huge car dealership with over 91,000 vehicles currently on sale will close within weeks putting over 100 jobs at risk. The German online used car marketplace has made heavy losses since opening in the UK in 2019 when it looked to rival Auto Trader and Motors. Heycar's majority shareholder, Volkswagen Financial Services (VWFS), have pulled the plug leaving more than 126 employees across the UK, Germany, and France at risk of losing their jobs. A large proportion of Heycar's employees are based in the UK. They are expected to close in the UK shortly after their closure in Germany, in mid-May. And a Volkswagen dealership in Wirral has also recently closed, after it's owner US-based Group 1 decided it was restructuring, as part of a £346 million deal. A Volkswagen spokesperson told the Globe: 'We can confirm that Group 1 Volkswagen Wirral ceased trading at the end of March and is now closed. 'Our focus when any network changes take place remains on convenience and the highest levels of service. 'Customers have been contacted to advise them of alternative sales, service and parts facilities.' Hundreds of jobs are at risk due to the restructuring.
The Irish Sun
30-05-2025
- Automotive
- The Irish Sun
Major car dealership with over 120 locations to close branch ‘imminently' after more than 50 years
A POPULAR car dealership with over 120 locations has announced it is closing a branch after 50 years. Advertisement 1 Lookers is set to close its head office in Manchester Credit: Google Maps Rumours had been circulating that staff would be made redundant, but managing director James Brearley assured that this is not true. Instead, around 12 members of staff will be relocated to another Lookers site, in Stoke-on-Trent. Addressing the rumours, Mr Brearley told "The Altrincham site will be closing imminently but that effects 12 staff all of whom will be moving to another of our site's in Stoke on Trent. Advertisement Read more motors stories "There will be no redundancies." Lookers was taken over by Canadian company Global Auto Holdings in October 2023, in a deal worth £504 million. Following the takeover, a number of redundancies were made by the new owners. Lookers was founded in 1908 as a bicycle seller and eventually switched to cars. Advertisement Most read in Motors By the 1960s, it was one of the leading chains, alongside Pendragon, Inchcape and Marshall. The dealership was hit hard by the pandemic, and axed 1500 jobs in 2020. Major UK car dealership closes down This comes after another car dealership, TC Harrison Ford in St Neots, , earlier this month. The closure was confirmed after planners granted permission for a new retirement village to be built on the dealership's site last year. Advertisement TC Harrison confirmed last month that the dealership would close on May 16, 2025. Happily, there will be no job losses following the closure, with all business activities and staff to relocate to the the firm's Why are so many car dealerships closing down? By Summer Raemason According to Business Rescue Expert there are multiple reasons why car dealerships are folding across the UK. The first major factor is rising online car sales which are beating in-person sales at dealerships. With an extensive range of comparison and second-hand sites to chose from, may car buyers don't even step foot into a dealership anymore. Secondly, the actual cost to physically run the sites has soared. Rent, wages and energy bills have all been increasing for roughly the past five years, putting many out of pocket. Car manufacturing across the globe was also hit by a semiconductor chip shortage in 2022 which made it difficult to produce new motors. The high demand with limited supply created a backlog, which although has eased, is still having an impact on the industry. A third reason for recent closures is the shift to electric cars. They are becoming more popular, given the Government initiative to be Net Zero in 2050. The industry is also affected when companies merge or are bought by rivals. This may lead to some independent names falling victim to the ongoing spate of closures. And a huge The German online used car marketplace has made heavy losses since opening in the UK in 2019 when it looked to rival Auto Trader and Motors. Heycar's majority shareholder, Volkswagen Financial Services (VWFS), have pulled the plug leaving more than 126 employees across the UK, Germany, and France at risk of losing their jobs. Advertisement A large proportion of Heycar's employees are based in the UK. They are expected to close in the UK shortly after their closure in Germany, in mid-May. And a Volkswagen dealership in Wirral has also recently closed, after it's owner A Volkswagen spokesperson told the Globe: 'We can confirm that Group 1 Volkswagen Wirral ceased trading at the end of March and is now closed. Advertisement 'Our focus when any network changes take place remains on convenience and the highest levels of service. 'Customers have been contacted to advise them of alternative sales, service and parts facilities.' Hundreds of jobs are at risk due to the restructuring.
