Tag Archives: Pandemic

The past year has been an extraordinary one with dealers having to adapt to a rapidly changing market. Cazoo has spent the year sponsoring major sports events to build its brand in the UK and Europe, buying in logistics, refurbishment, fleet and leasing services to ramp up sales. It is joined by cinch (owned by Constellation which also owns BCA ...

A joint report between Cox Automotive and Grant Thornton has revealed the impact the pandemic has had on carmaker profitability and highlighted individual recovery strategies. The report showed how some carmakers responded quickly to the change in the market by making cost reductions. It cited Ford, which despite having made losses in Q2 2020 of US$6.1bn, improved its performance in ...

Successive lockdowns over the past 18 months have changed behaviours dramatically and accelerated the acceptance by trade vendors and buyers to buying and selling digitally. That’s the view of Autorola group operations director Neil Frost who said the pandemic has speeded up the acceptance of online and selling. “Since March 2020 dealers and leasing companies have had no choice but ...

The knock-on effects of the pandemic may permanently change how car dealerships operate. That’s the view of Fraser Brown, highlighting the ongoing difficulties surrounding recruitment and the need for dealerships to make themselves more attractive to prospective employees. Brown, the founder and managing director of consultancy MotorVise Automotive, said the motor trade is only able to compete in a tough ...

The pandemic has had a major impact on business, but dealers have caught up fast and are now hoping for better times ahead The past year has been tough for dealers as they came to terms with three lockdowns with showrooms temporarily closed for business. Now, as we tentatively begin to emerge from the pandemic, we can see the impact ...

Trade associations the SMMT and NFDA have published updated sector-specific guidance for dealers on operating safely in the pandemic. The guidance is aimed at ensuring all premises are safe spaces for employees, customers, and other visitors. The best-practice guidance covers the entire customer experience, from booking appointments to showroom interactions, test drives, “click and collect”, part exchanges and aftersales, and ...

The Covid-19 pandemic is having a “profound impact” on consumers’ willingness to visit physical showroom facilities. A new survey from digital marketing firm Marketing Delivery found that 40% of UK drivers say they are now less likely to visit a showroom while researching the purchase of a car, as a direct result of the pandemic. The study identified that almost ...

The government yesterday announced it will broaden the reach of its winter support schemes for businesses. Businesses that remain open but are experiencing ‘considerable difficulty’ due to the pandemic will be given extra help to keep staff on as government increases contribution to wage costs under the Job Support Scheme, and business contributions drop to 5%. Business grants are expanded ...

The economic damage caused by the lockdown has impacted demand for electric cars. That’s the conclusion of a survey carried out by carwow, which found that 67% of consumers are less likely to purchase an electric car now than they were prior to the lockdown measures being introduced. Half (50%) of the 500 people polled said they had more important ...