The new AM100, based on exclusive research was revealed last night at black tie dinner in London revealing, alongside actual financial performance, the confidence of senior executives in the UK vehicle franchised sector as they provided us with their estimates of year-end turnover.

> View the AM100 (pdf)

> Video: The AM100 countdown

 

The full countdown and analysis of the 100 top franchised dealer groups by turnover will be published in AM at the end of June, but here are some highlights of 2014’s figures – and another record breaking performance, as total turnover reached £51.7 billion.

Total AM100 turnover:

2015: £51.7 billion

2014: £45.6bn

2013: £40.6bn

2012: £38bn

2.5% The average return on sale (RoS) for the 20 best groups

In 2014 we acknowledged CEM Day’s success in being the only AM100 group to exceed 3% return on sale and achieve this figure for three year’s running. Now the Ford, Peugeot and Fiat retailer, at number 58 in the AM100, has gone one better.

It has broken the 4% mark and is the only dealer to have done so in 2015. Its RoS figure is 4.04%. No other dealer has achieved this in the last five years. Stoneacre used to achieve 5-6% regularly, the AM100 archives reveal.

The 3.6% CEM Day recorded last year has not been exceeded either in 2015. Arnold Clark comes second in our top 20 countdown recording 3.29%.  

But the average figure is a little up on 2014 now at 2.5% compared to 2.22%. The aforementioned groups are the only ones to break 3%, although Hatfields comes close at 2.9%. Note AM100 new entrant Eden Motor Group is also in the top 20 for RoS with a figure of 2.47%.

Previous years’ RoS top 20 averages

2014: 2.22%

2013: 2.3%

2012: 2.1%

£42.5m The average profit before tax of the 10 biggest profit earners

2015 has seen a 31% increase in profit before tax for the 10 highest achievers year-on-year and 69% in a two-year period.

The group continues to be dominated by plcs (Pendragon, Vertu, Sytner, Lookers, Helston and from this year Marshall Motors), but privately owned Arnold Clark tops the table for the second year running with £107m PBT, 26% up year-on-year.

For three years it’s been competing for the top spot with Sytner and this year beats the Leicestershire based company’s result by nearly 20%. Lookers’ and Pendragon’s PBT total is around the £60m mark way ahead of those following behind: Jardine (£24.8m), Vertu (£21m), JCT600 (£18.6m) and Listers, Helston and Marshall Motors around the £13-14m mark.

The lowest placed group in the AM100 to feature here is Helston: number 23, with a turnover of £471m.

Previous years’ PBT top 10 average

2014: £32.4m

2013: £25.2m

2012: £23.1m

£13,834 The top 20 group’s average profit per employee

The average figure for the top 20 performers at £13,843 is 10% better than last year and 30% better than two years ago.

For the second year running CEM Day achieves the highest figure with its 531 staff at £23,316 – an increase on 2014 of 7%.

The performance of the top 20 ranges from CEM Day to Glyn Hopkin at number 20 with £11,798 profit per staff member.

The countdown was dominated by Spire Automotive between 2011 and 2013, it taking the top spot. It is no longer in the top 20. The total number of staff in the AM100 is at 105,091, up 6% on 2014.

Previous years’ results:

2014: £12,496

2013: £9,548

2012: £8,144

£627,513 Average profit per outlet

The number of outlets operated by the AM100 continues to grow and earnings per site continue to strengthen, with an average figure up 15% year-on-year.

CEM Day tops the ranking again with a figure of £1,125,545 profit per outlet from its 11 sites.

Exceeding six figures is a first for the group, but not for the AM100. Spire Automotive achieved the milestone in 2011 with a figure of £1,016,250.

Thompson Motor Company is at number two for the second year with a total of £889,333 compared to £751,333, an 18% increase.

It is also the lowest placed group in the AM100 to be in this top 20, at number 86.

Alongside these two companies, Harwoods, Sytner, Currie Motors, SG Smith, Dick Lovett and Porsche Retail Group exceed the average figure.

Previous years’ performance:

2014: £545,918

2013: £380,035

2012: £318,470

2,779 Total number of outlets or franchised dealerships

The AM100’s representation of the UK franchised network grows, but by less than 1%. According to figures from AM’s franchised dealer data site AMi (www.am-online.com/ami), the AM100 operates less than 60% of the UK’s total franchised outlets – the exact figure is about 57%.

Previous years’ outlet totals:

2014: 2,757

2013: 2,700

2012: 2,521

4 The number of new entrants

The four companies making their entry to the 2015 AM100 either for the first time or returning are Steven Eagell at number 99 with turnover of £119 million, five places higher Marsh Wall (£131m), Cotswold Motor Group (£145m) at 90 and Eden Motor Group.

Contributing to the latter’s leap into the countdown to number 66 was chief executive Graeme Potts’ decision to take the Hyundai representation of Hyundai in Reading from West London Motor Group in May with a business which it had already relocated and was formerly home to a WLMG Nissan franchise.

Its resulting turnover is £195 million.

The entry point for the AM100 this year is Ford solus dealer Foray Motor Group’s £115m. This is a £2m increase on 2014, and £11m on 2013.  

Previous years new entrant total:

2014: 3

2013: 5

2012: 10

Notes to the AM100

Information in the AM100 is derived from responses to our questionnaire or from statutory accounts.

Where no questionnaire has been returned and statutory accounts are not sufficiently current, an estimate is made.

Profits are adjusted, where information is available, to eliminate exceptional items. Profit percentages are calculated on the unadjusted turnover numbers. Turnover is net of VAT.

In order for the table to be as current as possible, information in the public domain, principally relating to acquisitions and disposals, is used to update questionnaire responses or statutory accounts.

For published annual accounts for the 250 largest franchised dealer groups by turnover register for access to AMi at www.am-online.com/ami. It’s free to dealers, subscription options available to suppliers.

> The AM100 was revealed last night at the Park Plaza Riverbank Hotel, London, before more than 200 senior dealer executives and leading figures from sector suppliers. It followed the second annual AM/IMI People Conference full coverage of which will be in the August issue of AM.