Set up in partnership with Carsite, and rebranding the company's existing website, all vehicles sold through Tesco Cars were offered with an HPI check and RAC inspection. It had plans to offer 3,000 units for sale each week, and managing director Douglas Rotberg told Fleet World last year that it had met its first two months of sales forecasts.

It announced today that it was refunding the £99 handing fee taken for pre-orders, and was not accepting new customers.Vehicles with a set handover or delivery date will still be delivered to existing customers, and warranties will continue to be honoured by The Warranty Group. 
A spokesperson for Tesco told Fleet World: 'We had a good customer response, it was very positive, but supply early on was difficult and Tesco wanted to deliver the best range for customers. Over time that would have improved, but right now it was important for us to focus on our core business, and that's where we'll be for some time.'

Tesco Cars is the third major online retailer to close in recent years having tried to cut out the "middle man" in vehicle sales. Autoquake went into administration after five years last March, just as Tesco entered the market, while former RBS subsidiary Jamjar.com closed for new orders in 2009. @PREVIEWEND@