Constellation Automotive Group has acquired Aston Barclay, including its subsidiary The Car Buying Group. It said investment, along with incremental volume from the Group’s WeBuyAnyCar business, will be key to securing the long-term viability of the Aston Barclay network of centres and ensuring further closures are avoided. It added that Aston Barclay closed its Leeds… Continue reading Constellation Automotive Group acquires Aston Barclay
Author: Motor Trader Online News
Steer Automotive buys React bodyshops in Hull and Scunthorpe
Steer Automotive Group has acquired React Accident Repair Group’s two bodyshops trading as Paint & Bodyshop Hull and React Accident Repair Scunthorpe. The acquisition includes a leadership transition, with Barry Whittles and Chris Elton, exiting the business post-acquisition. John Pattinson, Managing Director of React, will continue to lead the sites, ensuring stability and consistency for… Continue reading Steer Automotive buys React bodyshops in Hull and Scunthorpe
Motorpoint returns to profitability, looks at further store openings
Motorpoint announced a return to profitable trading with full year retail volumes up 14% compared to last year. It delivered a strong performance in the 0-6 year category for the 12 months to 31 December 2024, with retail sales volumes up 14.8% year on year, against 2.8% market growth. Its 21st store opened in Norwich… Continue reading Motorpoint returns to profitability, looks at further store openings
Dealers improve customer review response times
Dealers are replying to more online customer reviews and responding quicker, says JudgeService. Of online dealer reviews, 79% received a response in Q4 2024, representing 1.5 million Google reviews, compared to just 8% 10 years ago when it first started measuring replies. The speed of reply has improved to an average of 3.5 days, compared… Continue reading Dealers improve customer review response times
Legal firm MILS guides dealers through Supreme Court motor finance case
The motor finance commission case is winding up today with the final submissions. Legal expert MILS, which provides the Legal Surgery for Motor Trader, is attending each day to give dealers a clear summary of what happened. Tuesday saw submissions from by Close Brothers and FirstRand Bank Wednesday saw more submissions from the two banks,… Continue reading Legal firm MILS guides dealers through Supreme Court motor finance case
Tjekvik and Pinewood.AI partner on new solution for dealers
Tjekvik and Pinewood.AI have introduced a new Application Programming Interface (AP) which will synchronise digital self-service aftersales technologies with dealer management systems. The integration has been piloted by John Clark Motor Group and will be launched across all its sites. The solution will reduce manual processes and overall help dealerships provide customers with a seamless… Continue reading Tjekvik and Pinewood.AI partner on new solution for dealers
Majority of dealers ‘hesitant to sell’ GAP insurance following FCA scrutiny
The majority of dealers are giving GAP insurance sales a miss in the wake of FCA scrutiny. That’s the view of warranty firm Intelligent Motoring which estimates that 90% of dealers are not advertising GAP products. GAP came under scrutiny from the FCA which paused sales for a period. Duncan McClure Fisher, CEO of Intelligent… Continue reading Majority of dealers ‘hesitant to sell’ GAP insurance following FCA scrutiny
ADS warn dealers to manage customer contact effectively over unchecked vehicles
Millions of potentially faulty cars and vans have never been checked, despite safety recalls, according to Auto Data Solutions (ADS). Dealers are being warned about the importance of customer contact management in order to decrease the number of unchecked vehicles. Figures released under the Freedom of Information Act reveal that over 3.2 million cars and… Continue reading ADS warn dealers to manage customer contact effectively over unchecked vehicles
Legal expert spells out impact on dealers of potential motor finance redress scheme
Legal expert Professor Henry Blair of MILS has looked at an up and coming Supreme Court ruling that could trigger an FCA redress scheme for motor finance and the impact it could have on dealers The Supreme Court hears the Johnson, Wrench, and Hopcraft appeals on 1–3 April 2025. Professor Blair said a redress scheme… Continue reading Legal expert spells out impact on dealers of potential motor finance redress scheme
Dealers seeing shortage of stock at auction in ‘extremely positive’ first quarter
Dealers are seeing a shortage of stock in the wholesale market with demand exceeding supply, according to the National Association of Motor Auctions (NAMA). “Overall, Q1 2025 has been extremely positive, for the month of March so far demand has been outweighing supply with general shortages of stock” said NSMA spokesperson Paul Hill. NAMA said… Continue reading Dealers seeing shortage of stock at auction in ‘extremely positive’ first quarter