Alan Day Volkswagen MD Paul Tanner on dieselgate, rising wages and terrorism

The following two years – which gave us the dieselgate scandal, the run-up to and continuing fallout from the Brexit vote, and the Government’s wobbly footing following this year’s general election – have transformed the face of the motor retail business. All those events have dented the confidence of consumers and businesses.

As Paul Tanner, managing director of Alan Day Volkswagen, mulled over 2016 results showing a pre-tax loss of £349,729 (for a year in which turnover rose 0.4% to £88.27 million), he acknowledged that there is a sense his three-site operation has found itself facing a ‘perfect storm’.

Everything from anti-diesel sentiment in the city to terrorist attacks have fed into a climate that has left the London-based business trying to “keep our heads above water” in 2017, said Tanner.