Four of the UK remarketing sector's industry bodies have come together to deliver unified guidance on how to comply with safety guidance as the COVID-19 crisis eases and automotive retail businesses begin to re-open.

The Vehicle Remarketing Association (VRA), British Vehicle Rental Leasing Association (BVRLA), the Finance and Leasing Association (FLA) and the National Association of Motor Auctions (NAMA) have created ‘COVID-19 Guidance for Vehicle Collection, Delivery, Distribution, Storage and Technical Services’ to clarify the requirements that apply on vehicle and parts collections, delivery and distribution, storage and technical services.

Philip Nothard, vice chair at the VRA, said: “We were aware that specific guidance was being created for other areas of remarketing – such as motor auctions – but not around the movement and technical services side, which we consider to be essential to the efficient and effective working of remarketing processes across the industry.

“It made sense to all work together to provide a unified and authoritative approach in this area, rather than all the industry bodies releasing competing and perhaps even potentially contradictory guidance, creating a degree of confusion.

“We’ve worked hard to access the expertise that exists in each of the four trade bodies to provide best practice advice that has genuine relevance for businesses that are coming out of lockdown and want to do their very best to protect employees and customers.”

The creation of the new remarketing sector guide comes three weeks after the National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) and Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) joined forces to deliver their joint guidence for car retailers.

The NFDA and SMMT's ‘Industry Guidance and Best Practice for Automotive Retail’ document can be downloaded by clicking here.

Nothard said that the document was not intended to provide guidance at a granular level but was intended to help remarketing businesses create an infrastructure for their COVID-19 safety measures.

Nothard said: “It is a digest of all of the existing Government advice at this point in time, presented in a way that it allows organisations to see how it applies to their business and the areas in which they need to take action.

“This is about explaining the guidelines and the legal framework within which organisations are having to operate using language and a format that is easy to understand, rather than advising on specifics.”

The VRA represents businesses involved in the remarketing of 1.5m cars and vans every year and says its been working to help its members during the COVID-19 crisis.

Sam Watkins, chair at the Vehicle Remarketing Association, said: “This is one of those moments when a trade body such as the VRA really comes into its own, providing a forum where information, concerns and best practise can be freely exchanged at a time when those things have very real value.

“The new guidance follows on from other initiatives we have undertaken during lockdown, such as holding a series of regular webinars that have proven very popular.”

Access COVID-19 Guidance for Vehicle Collection, Delivery, Distribution, Storage and Technical Services by clicking here