Britain’s biggest car park operator goes bust
Britain’s biggest car park operator goes bust
NCP blames downturn in town centre shopping after struggling with rent rises and energy costs
Britain’s biggest car park operator has collapsed into administration, blaming a downturn in commuting and inner city shopping since the pandemic.
National Car Parks (NCP), which runs 340 car parks across the UK, said 682 jobs were at risk after PwC was called in to try and save the business.
It will keep sites open while the administrators assess its options for the future, including a potential sale or site closures.
NCP collapsed after struggling with rent rises linked to inflation and “elevated” energy costs, according to its Japanese owner.
The 95-year-old business also blamed Covid-19 for a downturn in demand for parking in city centres and commuter hotspots.
PwC said the business had “deteriorated over a number of years post Covid-19 as demand for parking has not recovered to historic levels, particularly across city-centre and commuter locations”.
Its collapse follows criticism of private parking companies like NCP for issuing parking tickets. Private parking operators that issued a record 15.9 million tickets last year, according to an analysis of government data.
The industry has been accused of using confusing signs to catch drivers out and aggressive debt-collection to collect fines from customers.
More information at:
www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/03/16/britains-biggest-car-park-operator-goes-bust
NCP blames downturn in town centre shopping after struggling with rent rises and energy costs
Britain’s biggest car park operator has collapsed into administration, blaming a downturn in commuting and inner city shopping since the pandemic.
National Car Parks (NCP), which runs 340 car parks across the UK, said 682 jobs were at risk after PwC was called in to try and save the business.
It will keep sites open while the administrators assess its options for the future, including a potential sale or site closures.
NCP collapsed after struggling with rent rises linked to inflation and “elevated” energy costs, according to its Japanese owner.
The 95-year-old business also blamed Covid-19 for a downturn in demand for parking in city centres and commuter hotspots.
PwC said the business had “deteriorated over a number of years post Covid-19 as demand for parking has not recovered to historic levels, particularly across city-centre and commuter locations”.
Its collapse follows criticism of private parking companies like NCP for issuing parking tickets. Private parking operators that issued a record 15.9 million tickets last year, according to an analysis of government data.
The industry has been accused of using confusing signs to catch drivers out and aggressive debt-collection to collect fines from customers.
More information at:
www.telegraph.co.uk/business/2026/03/16/britains-biggest-car-park-operator-goes-bust
