Interviews

Training in the motor sector today. Tricky. It has long struggled to attract enough technicians. And it appears to be getting worse. So, are companies doing enough? Could they do more? Is it a question of industry perception? Or pay? We checked out the views of the professional body for training in automotive, a college, a trade body for the ...

It has been quite a journey for Lookers and its CEO Mark Raban who joined the group in 2019 as finance director just as the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) began an investigation into the dealer group’s sales processes. Lookers promoted Raban to CEO in early 2020. He has nearly 30 years of multi-channel retailing experience and is steeped in finance. ...

As a woman in a traditionally male-dominated arena, did you ever feel patronised? If so, how do you handle it? When reflecting on a career that started realistically back in 1987, I do realise now just how patronising some people (usually men) were. At the time I fought a hard battle, went to work every day, did my job and ...

A lot is said about the shortage of new cars in the supply chain. Looking around at the Steven Eagell Toyota dealership in Merton Drive, Milton Keynes, you would never know. It’s packed to the gunnels, a constant juggling act is going on to manage the flow of cars on the forecourt. Steven Eagell, CEO of the eponymous group is ...

Cotswold Motor Group introduces training at all stages of staff progression, helping it adapt quickly to changing consumer behaviour and unforeseen obstacles. For Cotswold Motor Group, “investment in people is key.” The group, comprising BMW, MINI and Motorrad retail centres in Cheltenham and Hereford with 350 staff on the books, was the winner of the Skills and Development Award at ...

Drive Motor Retail has worked its way to the top of the Vauxhall lead tables in a year fraught with closures, social distancing, and changes in customer behaviour. Drive Motor Retail Group recently announced a strong performance in the Vauxhall dealership 360 performance rankings for 2020 with its Hartlepool showroom ranked first out of 170 dealerships. Five of Drive’s dealerships ...

When Motor Trader arrived at the Chester home of Mitchell Group on 18 March before the full impact of the coronavirus outbreak hit UK life, managing director, Mark Mitchell, was celebrating early 2020 results that eclipse even the near 14% increase in profits achieved in 2019 – a year that saw the group rise five places to 175th in the ...

In an exclusive interview with Motor Trader, Fraser Cohen, managing director of the Glyn Hopkin Group, talks about the company’s 25th anniversary, together with recent company performance and how to get more women involved in the retail motor industry Glyn Hopkin is celebrating its 25th anniversary. What are the major accomplishments for the business over that time? To start, I ...

Last month, Stephen Norman, managing director of Vauxhall Motors, announced the brand would refranchise its dealer network. This will see all existing contracts terminated at the end of a two-year notice period, after which the dealers will be eligible to submit new franchise applications. Norman noted that Vauxhall is the second-largest dealer network (after Ford) in the UK and that ...

In an exclusive interview with Motor Trader, Dave Hodgetts, managing director of Honda UK, speaks with Julian Buckley about a wide range of topics, including the national dealer network, Brexit, and the possible effects of GDPR on future sales Motor Trader: The last NFDA dealer survey highlighted a good performance for Honda. Were you happy with the results and what ...