UK franchised dealers saw a significant year-on-year decline in aftersales business in 2017, according to data from electronic vehicle health check provider autoVHC The company, which sampled 500 UK dealers, found that over the 12 month period the average dealer saw 3,320 vehicles presented at its service department, a 19% drop from the 4,080 vehicles… Continue reading Franchised dealers see 19% fall in vehicles for servicing
Author: Motor Trader Online News
Vospers invests £12m in Exeter multi-franchise dealership
Vospers is investing £12m in a new multi-franchise site in Matford, Exeter to open in late 2018. The site will have a FordStore, showrooms for Ford, Mazda, Fiat, Jeep, and Alfa Romeo and a 28-bay workshop. There will also be four larger car and van bays for while u wait servicing, where two technicians will… Continue reading Vospers invests £12m in Exeter multi-franchise dealership
Stoneacre buys Platts Garage in Stafford
Stoneacre Motor Group has bought Platts Garage in Stafford, representing Fiat, Dacia, Renault and Kia. Platts has been located on the same site in Lightwood Rd, Longton since 1938 when it was known as Peppers Garage. It was awarded the Fiat franchise in 1946 and billed itself as the longest established Fiat franchise in the UK.… Continue reading Stoneacre buys Platts Garage in Stafford
ASE reports strong used car market for dealers in January
The average dealer delivered profitability of £5,000 in January according to dealer profitability specialist ASE, which looked at the performance of hundreds of dealers across the UK. ASE chairman Mike Jones said it was a good start to the year he would have to wait to see how dealers fared in March to get a… Continue reading ASE reports strong used car market for dealers in January
Vantage buys Toyota dealerships from Charles Clark Motors
Vantage Motor Group has acquired the Toyota and Lexus businesses of Charles Clark Motors in Wolverhampton for an undisclosed sum. Vantage, rated 59 in the Motor Trader Top 200 with annual revenues of £262m, already has Toyota centres close by in Tamworth, Solihull and Birmingham where it also has a Lexus dealership. Vantage, which is… Continue reading Vantage buys Toyota dealerships from Charles Clark Motors
John Clark opens new Volvo dealership in Edinburgh
John Clark Motor Group has opened a Volvo dealership in Edinburgh, the first Volvo business for the group. John Clark is rated 16 in the Motor Trader Top 200 with annual turnover of £702.8m, representing Audi, BMW, Dacia, Jaguar, Land Rover, Nissan, Peugeot, Renault, Seat, Skoda, Volkswagen and now Volvo. Chris Clark, managing director, said:… Continue reading John Clark opens new Volvo dealership in Edinburgh
Dick Lovett opens Jaguar Land Rover dealership in Bath
Dick Lovett Group has opened a new Jaguar Land Rover dealership in Melksham, near Bath. The opening is part of the restructuring of the Jaguar Land Rover networks in the UK with – for the most part – common ownership of the two brands in each market territory. Employing 800, Dick Lovett represents BMW, Mini,… Continue reading Dick Lovett opens Jaguar Land Rover dealership in Bath
New Hendy dealership for Mazda, Kia and Honda in Eastleigh
Hendy Automotive is building a new multi-franchise dealership in Eastleigh Hampshire for Mazda, Kia and Honda. The company’s existing Leigh Road facility will now sell Ford. The new showrooms are expected to employ 90 people and the project is part of a partnership with Eastleigh Borough Council, which retains ownership of the site. Features include… Continue reading New Hendy dealership for Mazda, Kia and Honda in Eastleigh
Michael Jeffery buys Stirling of Hereford’s Suzuki dealership
Michael Jeffery, which trades as Ponthir Suzuki and Honda has bought Porch 2005’s Suzuki dealership trading as Stirling of Hereford for an undisclosed sum. This is its third Suzuki dealership. The group already represents the brand in Abergavenny and Caerleon in Newport. The company also represents Honda at the Caerleon site. Up until summer 2017,… Continue reading Michael Jeffery buys Stirling of Hereford’s Suzuki dealership
More dealers experience financial distress as market contracts
Rising numbers of new and used car dealers experienced “significant” levels of financial distress in the final quarter of 2017. According to Red Flag Alert research from insolvency firm Begbies Traynor, the number of UK automotive businesses experiencing significant financial distress reached 15,516 in the final quarter of 2017, a year on year increase of… Continue reading More dealers experience financial distress as market contracts