Guest Blog

Following a sustained period of stability for the motor trade and annual increases in new car registrations, not all dealer groups have thrived. The term “poor trading” can describe a multitude of sins and should come as no surprise when it leads to business failure. However, in our experience this never tells the whole story. Does the recent insolvencies of City ...

Car dealers across the UK are using the power of genuine reviews to increase transparency and build consumer trust. A recent report from Auto Trader claimed that only 7% of car buyers trust dealerships and according to an RAC survey from last year, one third of motorists in the UK would never buy another car from a dealership they’d previously ...

A recent report by Auto Trader showed that just 7% of UK consumers claim to trust UK used car dealerships, a trust figure lower than estate agents, banks, and finance companies. The research also revealed that nearly 40% of consumers who intended to buy a car in the last six months, but didn’t complete the process. Respondents said they found ...

Consumer confidence is a vital component to car sales and the initial reaction to the Brexit vote was that this all-important commodity was dented. However, recent positive economic data, low interest rates, falling prices, and high levels of employment are seeing confidence rising. Market research firm GfK’s latest survey in August saw consumer confidence recovering. A YouGov survey found consumer ...

Against a backdrop of tightening legislation from the FCA and changing consumer attitudes and behaviour, the warranty market is booming. We believe that there are some key trends driving this growth and many of these are good news for both franchised and independent dealers. According to the latest Trend Tracker research, warranties are 10 times more likely than service plans ...

The Olympics have been tough. For the last two weeks every morning took a minimum of three coffees to get over watching the events of the night before but at least I’m now an expert on sports I never knew existed; ask me anything about the omnium and I’m your man!. The Olympics got me wondering what the difference is ...

To most retail motor dealers, the idea of selling vehicles through personal leasing or contract hire used to be like garlic and crosses to vampires not too long ago, and it still is to some. Yes, the finance commissions and vehicle margins are lower, but there are great benefits to be had by selling cars this way, especially when it ...

Entering my final year of sixth form I was at a career crossroads.  Many of my friends were opting for the traditional university path. But I set out in search of alternative routes to find something that would fast track my career. I discovered the Chartered Manager Degree Apprentice (CMDA) launched by the Chartered Management Institute (CMI) which Pendragon were offering places ...

Dealers need to take a fresh look at their lending panel and see whether it is still fit for purpose in a post-Brexit world. With the decision to leave the EU set to affect a range of factors from consumer confidence through to the cost of borrowing, existing lenders may no longer be appropriate for the needs of both dealers ...

Sir Stuart Rose, former executive chairman of Marks & Spencer got it right a few years ago when he said that the customer is “no longer King”, but “master of the universe”. What he meant by this, is that we now live in a world where your customers are quite literally one click away from your competitors, so every opportunity ...