As Pearsons had been one of General Motors major dealers in the north of England, they were asked to help the American company find a new operational assembly plant when the GM factory at Southampton was blitzed in 1940. Pearsons duly obliged and proposed that an old cotton mill at Cuerdon Bamber Bridge near Preston, would be ideally placed for receiving the vehicles that were then being imported. However, in addition, Pearsons quickly established the opportunity to acquire some of the assembly of Canadian Military Pattern vehicles in Liverpool.  As these supplies became exhausted, and new vehicle chassis were released by the UK vehicle makers, Pearsons returned to their pre-war activities of being a coach - and body-builder.