Motor Trader The award-winning and longest running UK magazine for car retailing professionals. Your first stop for News, Jobs and Reports for the motor industry.
Data protection is a huge issue for all dealers and rising fast up the agenda for management. This month we report on a well-chronicled case, that of Arnold Clark. It’s not alone. Other dealer groups, including Pendragon, have been targeted. This will be a key area of debate at the Motor Retailing EXPO taking place at Silverstone later this year. Motor Trader plans a key session on the topic with input from dealers who can share their experience and best practice so the sector as a whole can benefit. Cyber-crime is the common enemy of all dealers, regardless of size.
This month we publish the Motor Trader Top 200 Dealer Groups. It makes for positive reading. Dealer profitability has grown over the past year. The return on sales in this MT Top 200 has accelerated to 2.87% and turnover has recovered to near-2019 levels. Combined MT Top 200 turnover is up 18% to £75.1bn, which is almost back to the 2019 pre-lockdown turnover of £76.6bn. The number of people employed in the sector, however, is down for the third year running.
This month we publish the shortlist for the Motor Trader Independent Dealer Awards, which are taking place on 6 July 2023 at the Eastside Rooms, Birmingham. Our congratulations to all the companies in the list. Judges will be running the rule over the entries over the coming weeks in the lead up to the award event.
Finally, a note on Ron Brooks, the group featured in our Dealer Insight this month. It has grown profits, turnover and overall car sales in 2022. Group manager of strategy and innovation, Tom Slack, spoke with Motor Trader on the changing used car market, competing online and the challenges ahead. The group has been able to perform consistently following the COVID-19 pandemic, increasing its used business to make the most of the buoyant market.