Blogs

The quote “buy land, they’re not making it anymore” is attributed to Mark Twain who died just as the motor industry was getting into its stride in 1910. However, his advice has been followed by car dealers around the world as they have bought property, and then invested in ever-larger premises, built to increasingly higher standards. Even a relatively modest ...

It’s boom time for motorists right now, with the value of their cars continuing to rise alongside the number of used car sales increasing by 6.6% on pre-pandemic levels as revealed by the SMMT. Our data shows that between the first and second quarters of 2021, the average price of used cars shot up by 3.8% and the SMMT reports ...

Recent announcements from carmakers show that the switch to an agency model is gathering pace and will become commonplace in the next to to three years. The momentum of the switch to agency contracts for car dealers seems to be gathering pace, with agreements being reached for some brands and markets, and formally proposed in others. Although there are dissenting ...

The new car sector has been dealt a perfect storm of which the full impact on retail is only now being realised. The semi-conductor shortage coupled with rising commodity prices, has dramatically hampered new car production, and with no clear end in sight, it’s likely we’ll feel the ramifications into early next year. However, it would be easy to misinterpret ...

The big story this month comes from Stellantis, which has outlined plans to overhaul the distribution of its car brands in the UK to be complete by 2027. It has terminated the current distribution contracts for networks. In the UK. Stellantis distributes Alfa Romeo, Citroen, DS Automobiles, Jeep, Peugeot and Vauxhall cars. In the UK, the intention is for Alfa ...

Julia Muir, founder of the Automotive 30% Club, spells out the practical steps car dealers can take in the year ahead to improve the gender balance in their business Inclusive businesses with a better gender balance are more successful, and that goes for small family-owned companies as well as large corporations. In fact, it could be easier to tap into ...

With the so-called Freedom Days looming large starting in England from July 19th across the UK, there can be no doubt that the impact of the pandemic will continue to shape people’s lives. Personal finances have been affected positively and negatively; it has implications for dealer finance. It will be increasingly difficult to operate with a fixed rate finance ‘one size ...

    Dealerships must act quickly to counter the effects of a huge shortage of new and used cars, says motor trade expert Fraser Brown. Sales teams are already coming to terms with delays of up to six months in new car deliveries, while the sector has seen its business cycle upended due to the long-term fall out from last ...

It has been a busy time for dealers as they emerge from the pandemic and look to their business in 2021, dealing with new vehicle shortages and the impact that is having on the used car market. Many of the bigger dealer groups are looking to expand. Stoneacre Motor Group hit the acquisition trail this month with the acquisition of ...

The shortage of new vehicle supply has pushed consumers and subsequently dealers towards used vehicles. This has had an obvious impact on the supply and demand dynamics that directly impact used vehicle values. Across the industry, we are seeing values increasing daily. This is great news for inventory owners who would traditionally be grimacing at sales values in May, which ...