Richard Lawson Autologistics has launched a refurbishment and remarketing facility for dealers called Inspect and Collect.
Build quality on the Citroen C3, on sale next month, has been criticised by Channel 5 motoring show Fifth Gear after presenters pulled several sections of trim off the car.
Radical reorganisation facing franchised dealers - including a trend to two-tier networks - will be the focal point of AM's spring conference on June 7.
Guinness Peat Group and JO Hambro have today acquired a further 1.25% of Nationwide Accident Repair Services' share capital, taking their stake to 45.98%.
The Body Repair Industry Campaign (BRIC) was due to submit 'unsupressable' findings on anti-competitive practices in the sector to the Office of Fair Trading this week.
A multi-million pound TV, local radio and consumer press publicity campaign is being rolled out by Castrol UK to whet public appetite for its GTX Magnatec engine oil.
The man who brought Delphi's worldwide aftermarket sites and business lines in to one global unit has been appointed president of the company's aftermarket operations.
Vehicle conversion company Gowrings Mobility has installed 25 Rotary brand lifts in its workshop.
North-west retailer Blue Bell BMW has acquired Lookers' dealership in Wilmslow, Cheshire.
Mazda chief executive officer Mark Fields is to replace Wolfgang Reitzle as head of Ford's Premier Automotive Group.
French Bank BNP Paribas has made a £600m bid for Kwik-Fit, the Ford-owned car repair network.
Smith Knight Fay has acquired Toyota dealer Culvers for an undisclosed sum.
CD Bramall is likely to retain the Quicks brand for part of the business after its £40m approved bid is completed next month.
Nationwide Autocentres has paid £4m for Lex Services' 96 Autocentres, just over a year after acquiring 41 sites from the motoring solutions company. Lex has now withdrawn from the repair sector.
Components supplier Bosch claims uptake by carmakers for its new Aerotwin flat bar wiper blade will have a huge impact on the UK aftermarket.
In a mountain to Mohammed move, Atlas Copco has gone on the road with a new range of automotive compressors.
Valeo Distribution UK has launched an all-new locking petrol cap supplement containing 620 applications and a reminder that any vehicle over three years old risks MoT failure if its fuel filler cap is loose-fitting cap or if the seal has perished.
Siemens VDO Automotive has become the first company in the UK to incorporate the Traffic Message Channel service (TMC) into its aftermarket satellite navigation systems.
Factors demanded it - so Delco Remy developed it: the starter and alternator manufacturer has introduced a new installer training package.
American car parts supplier USAutomotive has been appointed the official distributor for the American Racing range of custom wheels.
Dixon Motors has confirmed that it is in talks with an unnamed company about a possible takeover. The company made the announcement after its shares rose steadily last week.
Leading car manufacturers are planning to buy hundreds of dealership freeholds in a move that will redraw Britain's automotive retail landscape. AM has learned that Volkswagen alone wants to purchase 100 freehold contracts from its dealers - mainly in urban locations. Vauxhall, Honda and Toyota are understood to be among other carmakers on the hunt for freeholds.
Speculation over the future of Kwik-Fit is growing rapidly as Ford prepares to sell off the Europe-wide fast fit chain it bought in 1999 for a reported $1.4bn. The manufacturer has appointed investment bank Goldman Sachs to handle the disposal of the 2400-strong network of garages and mobile units, but the world's second biggest carmaker wants Kwik-Fit sold intact.
Skoda Auto is to build four 'new-look' dealerships this year as part of a sponsored retailer project designed fill a number of long-term open points across the UK. It is also looking to open new-look showrooms at 20 “strategic locations” across the UK over the next couple of years, which will be funded by selected retailers.
Kevin Turnbull has resigned as chairman of Autobytel UK as part of a move by parent company Inchcape plc to reorganise its online car sales subsidiary. He will not be replaced.
Kalamazoo is to withdraw support for one of its four European dealer management systems due to a drain on resources. The Evolution system, used by 18 dealers in mainland Europe and three in the UK, has “contributed to the financial strain” on Kalamazoo, according to chairman Bob Brockman.
CD Bramall is likely to retain the Quicks brand for part of the business after its £40m approved bid is completed next month. The deal will create the UK's third largest dealer group with a turnover around £1.58bn and 130 outlets.
Radical reorganisation facing franchised dealers - including a trend to two-tier networks - will be the focal point of AM's spring conference on June 7. 'Dealers are dead - how to prosper as a 21st century car retailer' will be staged the day after the AM100 dinner. Both events will be at the Belfry Hotel, Wishaw, near Birmingham.
Bodyshop chain Nationwide Accident Repair Services, has written to shareholders urging them to reject the “opportunistic and derisory” offer made by Guinness Peat Group and JO Hambro.
Leading dealer group owners are becoming richer and richer according to the Sunday Times Rich List. Arnold Clark, Jack Tordoff, Sir Peter Vardy, and the McKee brothers - who run the Carcraft car supermarket - have all climbed up the chart of the UK's richest people.
