Blogs

You might recall that a couple months ago, I commented in my blog on the acquisition by Constellation – the parent company of British Car Auctions and online used car retailer start-up cinch – of a majority stake in Marshalls Motor Holdings, the 6th largest UK dealer group, 15th largest in Europe. Now, we had an announcement that they have ...

You can be a digital disruptor, too. Technology is easily available to all to create a service offering that matched even the largest, best-funded new entrants. There is a general perception that the digital capabilities of the major new market entrants require a level of investment and access to expertise and infrastructure that is beyond the average dealer. That’s simply ...

The scrapping of all Plan B Covid restrictions in England from Thursday 27 January gives car dealerships further encouragement to ‘throttle up’ their sales and marketing. While the automotive industry has reacted admirably to overcome the challenges throughout almost two years of the pandemic, it has nevertheless proved an extremely difficult time. The industry had almost regained its pre-Covid confidence ...

Well-funded digital disruptors who have entered the used car market in the last couple of years will drive change but established players are overwhelmingly likely to remain dominant. In 2022, legacy retailers and lenders would start to match or exceed the services offered by newcomers. The really appealing aspect of the arrival of new and exciting digital used car retailers ...

Most people looking at the three company logos for Marshall Motor Holdings, Constellation Automotive Group and TDR Capital would perhaps, at best, recognise only that of Marshall – the 6th largest UK dealer group, number 12 in Europe, and the only one which is a consumer-facing brand. However, the news that the majority shareholder of the UK dealer group had ...

The past year has been an extraordinary one with dealers having to adapt to a rapidly changing market. Cazoo has spent the year sponsoring major sports events to build its brand in the UK and Europe, buying in logistics, refurbishment, fleet and leasing services to ramp up sales. It is joined by cinch (owned by Constellation which also owns BCA ...

For many carmakers and franchised dealers, the festive season can herald an uplift in new and used car enquiry levels. Faced with re-runs on TV or potential arguments with the in-laws, many consumers pick up their mobiles and seek refuge in virtual showrooms. However, the seasonal flurry of online retail activity also brings a unique blend of challenges for dealers, ...

The slight uptick in retail sales last month is not a sign that the new car supply issues are beginning to ease. Most November’s registrations will have been pre-ordered months ago. The global shortage of semi-conductors is still being keenly felt at the forecourts, holding back sales to a level well below the very strong underlying demand we continue to ...

Dealers are now beginning to see an acceleration in interest in electric vehicles as carmakers gear up to meet the government’s net zero emissions by 2050. This month we saw The National Franchised Dealers Association (NFDA) reveal that it has now accredited over 200 dealers on its Electric Vehicle Approved (EVA) scheme, which has been reopened. Volvo is one carmaker ...

The digitalisation of the car buying journey accelerated during the Covid lockdowns, as click and collect and home delivery became the only routes to market when showrooms were forced to close their doors to customers. As a result dealers now offer greater omnichannel solutions empowering consumers to choose just how much of their car buying journey they want to conduct ...