for Plaxton. A decline in orders due to the economic climate was compounded by management and production problems. The seasonal nature of coach production made recruiting difficult. In 1986, Plaxton bought Kirkby Bus & Coach, based in Anston, near Sheffield. Kirby were Plaxton's largest dealer, and also marketed the Hungarian Ikarus buses in the United Kingdom. Management expertise from Kirkby was soon in charge, investing in modernising the Scarborough factory and addressing some industrial relations problems. In 1989, Plaxtons bought Henlys, a company that included 34 motor dealers and Coleman Milne, makers of hearses and limousines. The name of the company was changed to Plaxton Group plc. In July 1989, Plaxton bought the manufacturing rights for the coach products of its main domestic competitor, Duple for £4 million. This included the jigs for the Duple 320 and the Duple 425 integral. Duple Services Ltd., the spares and repair business, was also purchased. The 320 was re-worked by Plaxtons at Scarborough later in 1989 and 25 were built and sold as the Plaxton 321. Many components from the Paramount were used both internally and externally. Identifying traits being the squared up wheel arches and Paramount side mouldings. The 321 was around £6,000 cheaper than a comparable Paramount 3200 III and was only available from the Kirkby dealership. A Plaxton version of the higher floor Duple 340 was considered but none were built. A modified version of the Duple 425 integral design was introduced in 1991 and was briefly built in France by Carrosserie Lorraine as the Plaxton 425. Carrosserie Lorraine was a subsidiary of Iveco assembling Iveco 315 and 370 coaches for the French domestic market, but it was purchased by Plaxton in 1989 subject to a 3 year deal with Iveco to continue that arrangement. Sales of the Iveco-Lorraine had never been high (totalling only around 660 between 1981 and 1992) and Plaxton's efforts to expand the business by offering Lorraine coaches in the UK market were frustrated by the early 1990s recession. One batch of ten Iveco 315 Lorraine midicoaches was sold in the UK in 1990–92, and only twelve Plaxton 425 integrals were built at the French plant in 1991–92. The Carrosserie Lorraine factory closed in March 1992 when the three-year deal with Iveco expired. The Dennis Dart, released in 1989, had been a runaway success, so in 1991 the Plaxton Pointer midibus was announced, this was quite