Last week the BBC1 current affairs programme Panorama aired an episode entitled What Facebook Knows About You. While this headline wasn’t fully explored in the show, what was solidly reinforced is that Facebook is the most powerful advertising platform. Ever. What is less commonly known, especially in the British motor trade, is that Facebook represents the single most effective way ...

Peoples has sold its Accrington Ford dealership to Oldham Motor Company (OMC) for an undisclosed sum. Peoples has owned the site since 2013. Its finance director Stewart Ramsay said the disposal would allow the group to concentrate on the three other dealerships it operates in the north-west, all based in the greater Liverpool area. The group, rated 50 in the ...

Motor Trader is launching the first in a series of webinars on 6 July with a special focus on how dealers can maximise their used car sales. The panel for the Driving Online Used Car Sales Through Greater Transparency webinar, sponsored by CarGurus, features Mark Lavery, chief executive of Cambria Automobiles, Diego Sanson, CarGurus’ vice president of international business development ...

Dealers are showing a growing appetite for sourcing electric vehicles for used stock, according to BCA. The auction house said a trial series of e-Auctions, dedicated to EV and hybrid sales, outperformed expectations with vehicles achieving over 102% of CAP Clean. Commenting on the results Max Brough, e-Auction manager said: “A focused approach to the sale of electric and hybrid ...

Ford is rolling out CitNOW’s workshop video platform across its European dealer network. The move will see 1,650 sites across 14 countries offering Ford Video Check from spring 2017 following a successful pilot. “Adopting CitNOW technology for Ford Video Check is a clear statement of intent for Ford of Europe to deliver consistently excellent customer communications across the network, in ...

Vertu Motors has confirmed it will continue its programme to grow by acquisition with existing partners as well as attract new car brands to its portfolio. The group, rated six in the Motor Trader Top 200, said it is looking to grow with its exiting partners and singled out the premium sector as having “substantial headroom.” According to chief executive ...

IMI chief executive Steve Nash talks to Motor Trader editor Curtis Hutchinson about how the government’s controversial Apprenticeship Levy could benefit the motor trade  Steve Nash had a lot on his mind when we met at the Institute of Directors an oasis of calm, conducive for quiet conversation, in the centre of London. Five minutes into our interview and he ...

Stratstone has opened a dedicated multi-marque premium used car centre in Amersham on the site of the group’s former Aston Martin dealership. Stratstone Amersham is Pendragon’s second Premium Specialist outlet following the opening of its first site in Cardiff in July 2016. The site, which will offer servicing and MoT facilities, will only sell premium brand used cars with cars ...

The SMMT has revised its new car registrations forecast upwards for the full year with the trade body now expecting the market to drop by -2.6% instead of the -5% it forecast at the beginning of the year. The quarterly forecast, which predicts registrations of 2.622 million in 2017 (2016: 2.693 million), is based on the average of data received ...

Vertu Motors has launched an online used car sales platform which is believed to be the first to be offered by a franchised dealer group. The service has been rolled out across all of the group’s websites, including Bristol Street Motors and Macklin Motors, and offers customers part-exchange valuations and finance. Buyers will be offered the option of hand-overs at ...