Motor Trader The award-winning and longest running UK magazine for car retailing professionals. Your first stop for News, Jobs and Reports for the motor industry.
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 RMB Motor Group. RMB represents Toyota and Lexus at Stockton on Tees; Toyota, Renault and Dacia at Northallerton; and Toyota, Renault and Dacia at Darlington. It also has an Autoparc used car centre at Yarm together with a body repair centre.
It will not stop there. Stoneacre has gone very publicly on record to say it is looking to talk to companies with a view to buying.
Another dealer group Cambria Automobiles is also in play. This month Cambria agreed to an MBO offer from CEO Mark Lavery valuing the company at £80m. The £80m MBO, subject to shareholder approval, was made by Bidco, a private company incorporated in England and Wales, which is wholly owned by Cambria Investments and ultimately owned and controlled by Lavery. Lavery, too is looking to expand. He said while there may be headwinds ahead, he wanted to capitalise on the growth opportunities following a successful delisting.
This month we feature Drive Motor Group in Dealer Insight. Drive took five of the Top 10 positions in the Vauxhall charts and we talked to them to see how they are achieving this and what they are doing well. Check it out on P22.
And we have the Motor Trader Used Car Survey, which gets the views of dealers on what is taking place in the used car market. How do sales compare now compared to 2019 pre-pandemic? How are margins holding up? Are dealers experiencing difficulty sourcing used stock? Are they seeing a rise in prices for retail stock in the wholesale market since showrooms opened? Are they retaining more part-ex stock to retail on the forecourt? How are stock levels now compared to the same time in 2019 before the pandemic hit? And how confident are dealers in visiting physical auction houses now that restrictions have been lifted? Check it out, starting P27
Finally, the Motor Industry Awards are now open for entries. For over 30 years these awards have been seen industry wide as a benchmark for excellence for UK car retailers and suppliers. Entries are now open with 25 retail categories and six supplier categories available to enter.
And for non-franchised independent used car dealers, we have the Motor Trader Independent Dealer Awards which celebrate excellence in used car retailing, in the UK independent used car sector. Entries are now open in 14 Retail Categories and five Supplier Categories. Good luck.