Derry's Martin Group Buys NCP, Becomes a Top UK Car Park Operator

Londonderry's Martin Group will control more than 100 UK car parks after buying NCP out of administration, making the Derry firm one of Britain's biggest parking operators overnight.

The deal transfers the majority of NCP's 145 sites to Martin Group, along with the staff who work there, according to the administrators, PwC. NCP collapsed in March 2026 after a sustained decline in performance left it unable to service its debts. Some sites were closed or handed to rival operators before the sale.

Zelf Hussain, joint administrator and partner at PwC, said the transaction protected hundreds of jobs and delivered the best outcome for creditors. "Keeping NCP's car parks open also helps keep Britain's town and city centres moving," he said.

"We would like to thank all of NCP's staff and directors for their support and professionalism throughout what has understandably been a period of uncertainty," Hussain added.

Why NCP fell over

The operator's troubles were structural, not cyclical. NCP was locked into long-term leases with property owners while carrying a large debt pile — a combination that left no room to manoeuvre when revenue slid. Administration in March 2026 was the endpoint of that squeeze.

For landlords and councils watching from the sidelines, the lesson is straightforward: lease-heavy parking businesses with heavy leverage break fast when trade softens.

What does the deal change for Martin Group?

Plenty. Martin Group already runs a substantial commercial property portfolio across the UK, including the Fishergate Shopping Centre in Preston and the Mercury Shopping Centre in Romford. It has also been expanding in hospitality, developing The Bedford Hotel in Belfast and buying The Waterfoot in Derry.

Adding more than 100 parking sites gives the firm a national operating footprint in a sector where scale matters — control of town-centre parking feeds directly into its retail property interests. Owning the car parks next to the shopping centres changes the economics of both.

Gary Martin, director of Martin Property Group, said the company's goal was to "build on the strength and heritage of the NCP brand so it can once again deliver the lasting impact on the communities it serves".

"NCP is an iconic brand with a loyal customer base and talented workforce," he added.

What happens next for NCP?

The brand survives, which was never guaranteed in an administration. Rob England, chief executive of NCP, called it "a fantastic day for NCP".

"We have had to make difficult, necessary decisions to keep the business moving forward," England said.

England said NCP was "immensely grateful" to its employees, customers and suppliers, and set out the immediate priority: "to restore full operational momentum and build a sustainable platform for long-term growth".

The practical read

For NCP's remaining staff, the transfer means job continuity under a new owner with property-backed capital behind it. For creditors, PwC's verdict is that this sale beat the alternatives. For commuters and retailers in Britain's town centres, the car parks stay open — a point the administrators were keen to stress.

The open question is debt. Martin Group inherits the sites but not, in an administration sale, the full legacy balance sheet that sank the previous owner. Whether NCP thrives now depends on whether the lease and debt structure that crushed it has genuinely been reset — England's talk of a "sustainable platform" suggests management knows that's the test.

Martin Group has bought a household name at a distressed price. The next twelve months will show whether that was a bargain or a parking problem with famous branding.