Guest Blog

Most people looking at the three company logos for Marshall Motor Holdings, Constellation Automotive Group and TDR Capital would perhaps, at best, recognise only that of Marshall – the 6th largest UK dealer group, number 12 in Europe, and the only one which is a consumer-facing brand. However, the news that the majority shareholder of the UK dealer group had ...

For many carmakers and franchised dealers, the festive season can herald an uplift in new and used car enquiry levels. Faced with re-runs on TV or potential arguments with the in-laws, many consumers pick up their mobiles and seek refuge in virtual showrooms. However, the seasonal flurry of online retail activity also brings a unique blend of challenges for dealers, ...

The slight uptick in retail sales last month is not a sign that the new car supply issues are beginning to ease. Most November’s registrations will have been pre-ordered months ago. The global shortage of semi-conductors is still being keenly felt at the forecourts, holding back sales to a level well below the very strong underlying demand we continue to ...

The digitalisation of the car buying journey accelerated during the Covid lockdowns, as click and collect and home delivery became the only routes to market when showrooms were forced to close their doors to customers. As a result dealers now offer greater omnichannel solutions empowering consumers to choose just how much of their car buying journey they want to conduct ...

When the Chancellor stood up to deliver his Autumn Budget this week, the question that everyone had was not so much what new measures would be announced, but after days of briefings did he have anything left to say. In terms of tax policy, the answer was not really, but that was not the intended focus of this speech.  This ...

The automotive sector is embarking on one of the biggest developments in its history as the internal combustion engine is phased out in favour of alternative drive trains. But the rollout of EVs is just the start of a period of change that will also see autonomous vehicles becoming more commonplace. The complexity of these advancements means all workshops and ...

It’s clear that the importance of digital platforms in the customer journey has increased in the last few years, and the automotive retail industry is responding accordingly. In a recent survey commissioned by CitNOW, 87% of motor retailers said they believe it’s now more important than ever to invest in their digital communications. The use of video as a communication ...

The automotive retail sector is suffering from a fundamental lack of investment in systems and staff – and dealerships must adapt to survive in a post-Brexit, post-pandemic world. Whilst issues around the major shortfall of lorry drivers remains in the public eye, a range of other sectors – including car dealerships – are also paying the price for decades of ...

The sustained lack of new and used car supply is unprecedented and is causing an ongoing headache for motor retailers with little improvement in sight. One consequence is a dramatic rise in used car residual values, the other is the need to keep prospects within the sales funnel for much longer than usual. However, with other dealers just a click ...

The usual uplift in new registration sales will not start to be felt until next month at the earliest. While it is true that 71-plate vehicles are flying out of the showrooms, stock is in short supply with manufacturers struggling to approach anything like pre-pandemic production levels. The global shortage of semiconductor processing chips, crucial for everything from infotainment to ...