Interviews

Motor Trader caught up with David Kateley – Director Automobile at the Suzuki GB head office in Milton Keynes. In the reception area, the renowned Suzuki Swift and racing legend Barry Sheene’s LJ80 4×4 Suzuki Jimny occupy pride of place. Just beyond, a door leads to training rooms and workshops where the skills of dealers and technicians are honed. Kateley, ...

The last time Motor Trader visited W R Davies in late 2016, the group had undergone a period of major change, selling off its Ford outlets in mid-Wales and acquiring Nissan and Toyota outlets in Telford and a Toyota centre in Shrewsbury. The group was looking forward to a period of steady growth and consolidation. Seven years on and as ...

H.R. Owen first announced its plans for a multi-franchise site in Hatfield in 2021, bringing together several of its luxury and high-performance brands under one roof. Now, in 2023 the dealership is beginning to open, and will eventually house Bentley, Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati. For now, H.R. Owen has officially opened the Bentley showroom. The new flagship site is the ...

Training in the motor sector today. Tricky. It has long struggled to attract enough technicians. And it appears to be getting worse. So, are companies doing enough? Could they do more? Is it a question of industry perception? Or pay? We checked out the views of the professional body for training in automotive, a college, a trade body for the ...

It has been quite a journey for Lookers and its CEO Mark Raban who joined the group in 2019 as finance director just as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) began an investigation into the dealer group’s sales processes. Lookers promoted Raban to CEO in early 2020. He has nearly 30 years of multi-channel retailing experience and is steeped in finance. ...

As a woman in a traditionally male-dominated arena, did you ever feel patronised? If so, how do you handle it? When reflecting on a career that started realistically back in 1987, I do realise now just how patronising some people (usually men) were. At the time I fought a hard battle, went to work every day, did my job and ...

A lot is said about the shortage of new cars in the supply chain. Looking around at the Steven Eagell Toyota dealership in Merton Drive, Milton Keynes, you would never know. It’s packed to the gunnels, a constant juggling act is going on to manage the flow of cars on the forecourt. Steven Eagell, CEO of the eponymous group is ...

Cotswold Motor Group introduces training at all stages of staff progression, helping it adapt quickly to changing consumer behaviour and unforeseen obstacles. For Cotswold Motor Group, “investment in people is key.” The group, comprising BMW, MINI and Motorrad retail centres in Cheltenham and Hereford with 350 staff on the books, was the winner of the Skills and Development Award at ...

Drive Motor Retail has worked its way to the top of the Vauxhall lead tables in a year fraught with closures, social distancing, and changes in customer behaviour. Drive Motor Retail Group recently announced a strong performance in the Vauxhall dealership 360 performance rankings for 2020 with its Hartlepool showroom ranked first out of 170 dealerships. Five of Drive’s dealerships ...

When Motor Trader arrived at the Chester home of Mitchell Group on 18 March before the full impact of the coronavirus outbreak hit UK life, managing director, Mark Mitchell, was celebrating early 2020 results that eclipse even the near 14% increase in profits achieved in 2019 – a year that saw the group rise five places to 175th in the ...