Sinclair Group MD Andy Sinclair on making record RoS with used cars

The South Wales retail group, which has held 35th place in the AM100 for the past two years, achieved a 1.2% return on sales (RoS) figure on £425 million turnover (down 8.5%) and profit before tax of £5.1m (up 41.7%) in 2018.

While the acquisition of Likes Land Rover Hay-on-Wye from Walters Group in December may have cemented Sinclair’s standing as South Wales’s largest franchised retail group, the group’s profitability – and its growth aspirations – were very much tied to an increased presence in the used car sector.

“Used cars are much less affected by the turmoil of the economy and things like WLTP, that’s definite and we’re now on a significant used car journey,” Sinclair told AM during an interview at the group’s Mercedes-Benz facility at Bridgend.