How Luscombe's Leeds won the Used Car Dealer of the Year Award

Buying a car from Luscombe’s is undoubtedly a different experience when compared with almost any franchised or independent retailer in the UK.

Its entry so impressed the AM Awards judges that they granted it the Used Car Dealer of the Year Award, sponsored by Santander Consumer Finance.

Part of its approach is to establish a culture for the sales team where its members can operate as if they were self-employed and given free reign over all aspects of the sale. Micromanagement is neither desirable nor possible with this approach.

By its own admission, Luscombe Leeds knew it had become overly reliant on the expertise and experience of group managing director Robin Luscombe, particularly when it came to used car success.

The business needed to establish a framework that others could follow.

A new structure in the sales department and strategy focussed around stock sourcing, pricing and enquiry management has been put in place to deliver a larger volume of used cars, all without the group MD’s constant input.

The plan is working with used car turnover increasing by 17.5% year-on-year and finance and insurance profit per unit (PPU) up by 35% over the same period – all while navigating a year that saw used electric vehicle (EV) values drop drastically.

Read about all the 2024 AM Awards winners here.

It’s an area of the market that Luscombe Leeds is bravely forging ahead with, while many fear the potential pain from further unpredictability on values.

The business has branched out into selling all brand EVs, including Teslas given its lack of a franchised dealer network, and has already established a solid four-figure PPU on the American brand in a year that saw EV values fall.

Luscombe Leeds has now positioned itself as a trusted expert and one-stop-shop for EV knowledge, home chargers and tariffs.

And it will be offering EV Education Consultations for customers who need more assistance as this part of the market continues to grow in the years ahead.

Sponsor's comment

"As the sponsors of the Used Car Dealer of the Year 2024 category, Santander Consumer Finance would like to congratulate the winners of this award, Luscombe's Leeds, on their well-deserved recognition.

Luscombe's Leeds values and approach to delivering high quality customer service, as well as their ongoing commitment to innovation are truly commendable.

Striving for good customer outcomes and delivering the right offerings is at the core of everything we do at Santander Consumer Finance, and it is an honour to work alongside businesses and individuals whose principles and goals align with our own.

We would also like to extend our congratulations to all those nominated for this award on all their achievements over the past year."

Stewart Grant, commercial director