Car dealers endure more cash flow volatility than most businesses, but good forecasting, careful stock management and good communication can calm the waters
There is a growing gap in how dealers at either end of the AM100 approach debt, but the resilience shown by both groups should please investors and bankers.
David Wild, Domino’s Pizza Group chief executive, said it is in carmakers’ interests to treat franchisees well, but dealers still need to be aware of disruptors
AM spoke to industry experts to find out if some of the motor retail industry’s long-held beliefs still apply today.
Learn the lessons of the UK’s most profitable dealer groups with ASE's profit clinic at the Automotive Management Live exhibition.
There may be some softening of demand over the year, but PCPs make getting a new car very affordable in comparison to HP or outright purchase. That way of funding their vehicle is very much part of the consumer psyche now.
The current car ownership model is ‘irrational’ and driverless cars will become a reality, but there are plenty of opportunities for the dealers.
Pressures on car dealerships are increasing, but for those that are willing to change their business model and diversify, there are opportunities.
Jon Roberts, managing director of Infiniti Retail Group, says test drives, new routes to market and common sense are key parts of the group’s growth.
Car buyers welcome choice and dealer profits benefit from personalisation, but does that variety slow down deals and are US-style stocking levels the answer?
As the price of new cars becomes more transparent, dealers will need to develop other distinguishing factors to gain the upper hand in the market.
Car dealers are feeling the strain from falling margins, recruitment woes and manufacturer ‘micro-management’, delegates at the latest AM Round Table heard.
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Product innovation and expansion into new areas are stimulating growth in the industry – and bringing consumers back into dealerships in the process.
Logistics operators steer clear of the limelight, but without them, and their increasing innovation, the motor trade would – literally – grind to a halt.
Profitably selling new cars depends on many factors, including identifying leads, responding quickly, pitching the right add-ons and, sometimes, just smiling.
Managing director Steve Hodgson believes organic growth, not loan-backed acquisition, is the right route for Hodgson Newcastle.
The car market collapse, warranty hysteria and supply issues after Japan’s tsunami were a triple whammy for RRG Group in the North West of England. Yet it made it through intact, and bounced back fast. Now its Japanese owners have given its management clear instructions: acquire, expand and spread the risk.
Vertu Motors’ year end results, published today, reveal turnover up year-on-year 8.9% and above the one billion mark for the first time, at £1.09 billion (2011: £999m).
