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.
This month we reveal the names and rankings of the UK’s biggest groups in the Motor Trader Top 200, the most comprehensive analysis of the health and wellbeing of the franchised dealer sector.
The survey, which rates groups according to annual turnover, reveals just how successful the motor trade was during the last financial year, a trend which has continued into 2014 with the likes of Pendragon, Vertu, Lookers, Inchcape, Peoples and Group 1 all recently reporting strong or record performances.
Return on sales for the year range from 2.2% to 3.9% for the top 25 groups, while the average across all groups was a credible 1.3%. These figures show how the sector has accelerated out of the downturn on a wave of consumer confidence, boosted by the phenomenal impact of low interest PCP schemes.
But that’s only part of the story, there’s also the vital role played by used car sales and a more proactive approach to aftersales with many groups reaping the benefits of selling service plans.
Click here to view the 2014 Motor Trader Top 200.