Predictions that traditional 'bricks and mortar' used car dealers would decline in the face of competition from online firms are proving premature as two major used car supermarket groups announce the launch of new branches, while two surveys reveal falling consumer interest in online-only purchasing.

Motorpoint, celebrating its 25th anniversary in 2023 and selling around 100,000 cars each year, will open its 20th outlet, in Ipswich, in May. Big Motoring World, which claims to have sold 47,000 used cars from its five sites in 2022, will add a sixth, in Wimbledon, south-west London, in June. The firm expects to sell 1000 cars a month from the new 6.7-acre branch. Explaining his decision to open the new branch, Peter Waddell, the company's owner, told Car Dealer magazine that the area was "untouched by volume dealers" and that car supermarkets offer buyers the opportunity to "touch, feel and test drive".

The news come as two major surveys of consumer buying habits show the public's interest in buying cars online appears to be fading fast.