By Rupert Hargreaves Inchcape, the leading FTSE 250 global automotive distributor, has today announced the sale of its UK retail operations for £346m to Group 1 Automotive UK, a subsidiary of New York-listed Group 1 Automotive, Inc. Inchcape’s UK retail operation employs 3,600 people and sells vehicles from 80 sites. It also has 12 original equipment manufacturer (OEM) partners. In 2023, the retail operations generated revenue of £2.07bn, 18 per cent of the FTSE 250 company’s overall revenue. The arm delivered an operating profit of £49m for the group. At the end of last year, the division had…