The company says that around 500 full time posts will be created from the new store openings.  People Director Martin Gray said: "There's 500 full time roles and part time roles on top of that. They'll be inducted and trained as we grow - these are very busy times. It is quite strange talking to friends and colleagues outside of this sector where everybody is talking about retraction and cutting, whereas we are in a high growth mode so we shouldn't - and don't - complain."

The new locations will be in areas around the country that the firm doesn't already have a presence. Commenting on the new locations, Sukhpal Singh said: "Everytime we open a new location, we get a positive response. We have a bigger range, better quality and competitive pricing so it gets the benchmark up."

An injection of cash from the firm's new owner, the American panel giant LKQ Corporation, has made the expansion possible. After completing the store openings ECP has a further 20 sites earmarked.