Commercial Vehicle Show 2017

The latest 2017 Commercial Vehicle show was held at the NEC in Birmingham. The exhibition showcased the many innovations available from manufacturers and suppliers within the commercial automotive industry.

Visitors were indeed spoilt for choice, as there were literally hundreds of suppliers. The line up included van and truck, trailer manufacturers, insurers, tyre manufacturers, fuel and oil suppliers, to mention but a handful. It wasn’t just about the bigger manufacturers either, there were plenty of smaller companies demonstrating really high quality manufacturing and innovation.

One stand that was particularly eye catching was Isuzu, the image depicts a tarmac road leading to new models.

Petrolheads wouldn’t be disappointed by the fabulous Mitsubishi pickup shown here:

Beautifully presented stand, and a strong example of branding by Giti tyres.

The Ford stand was ideally placed on a busy walkthrough and there was plenty to see for Transit enthusiasts. 2017 is also the first year for Ford’s new mobile service initiative, which will allow all SMR work to be centred around the customers business schedule.

Sharing a stand with Ssang Yong, DFSK the Chinese mini truck and van brand makes a return. The owner of Ssang Yong, Bassadone Automotive has recently formed a new company to distribute DFSK in the UK.

The show became very busy after a brief period of quiet just after the opening. Attendance is essential for those looking to keep up to date, not only on the latest products and services but also the maintenance and efficiency of a fleet.

DATABASE UPDATE MARCH 2017

Automotive dealer database updates throughout March 2017

Overall (geographically represented):
New Database Records Created 94
Database Records Updated 244
Database Records Deleted 100

Key Movements:

9 Dealership acquisitions
2 Franchise agreements relinquished
3 Dealer name changes
11 Dealerships with new franchises
3 Dealerships refurbished
4 Dealerships relocated

Overall database changes shown geographically.

Compare UK car dealer database results March 2016

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Some highlights from Automotive in March:

South African based Supergroup have acquired Essex Auto Group which consists of 10 franchised dealerships. The bulk of sites are Ford branded, but the dealership acquisition also consists of Kia, Fiat and Mazda.

Cambrian Garages Aberystwyth acquired by Shuker. The Land Rover and Hyundai brands are a good fit for Shuker, notably because of the similarities that exist at their Ludlow Site.

Martin Duckworth complete their £7 Million site in Boston Lincolnshire. The 4,500 square metre dealership was built using the very latest in construction materials, and features a substantial vehicle display area.

Bury St Edmunds sees the opening of a new Seat dealership. Cecil and Larter is no stranger to Bury, having opened its first dealership in the town in 1927.

Gillingham sees new investment in the shape of a £6.5 Million + Peugeot and Nissan development. Dealer group Motorline have relocated their Rochester Peugeot branded site alongside Nissan on the Gillingham business park.
 

DATABASE UPDATE FEBRUARY 2017

Automotive dealer database updates throughout February 2017

Overall (geographically represented):

New Database Records 42
Database Records Updated 255
Database Records Deleted 33

Specifically:

15 Dealerships acquired
6 Dealerships with new franchises
15 Dealerships relocated
17 Dealerships relinquished their agreements

Overall database changes shown geographically.

Compare UK car dealer database results February 2016

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Some highlights from Automotive in February:

Aston Martin unveil their refurbished showroom in Wilmslow.

Port Dundas, Glasgow sees the opening of a new Nissan dealership. The £5million Macklin Motor site recently opened on the Port Dundas Road. Notably, the site showcases vehicles by displaying them in a computerised tower alongside the traditional showroom.

Steven Eagell acquire 6 Toyota dealerships from the Jardine Group. The acquisition includes dealerships located in the Suffolk, Cambridge and Essex areas.

Sytner acquires Carshop. The award winning car supermarket sites are located in Cardiff, Swindon, Northampton, Norwich and Doncaster. Also included in the package is a preparation site based in Leighton Buzzard. The acquisition propels Sytner group to the top of the UK dealer group charts (as far as size is concerned).

Jardine Group acquire Mini and BMW Dealership from Carrs in Bury St Edmunds. The Carrs group was previously a family run operation, and is to be re-branded as Lancaster BMW.

SSangYong increases its network in Reading, Kings Lynn and Worthing.

Evans Halshaw unveils new car store in Gloucester.

Croxdale Group adds Mitsubishi in Durham to its portfolio of manufacturers. As well as a fast fit business, Croxdale also represents Citroen and Subaru in the North East.

DATA UPDATE JANUARY 2017

A few updates from the many changes recorded in January.

Numerous Citroen Dealers undergo name changes to ‘Robins & Day'
Lloyd Group acquire Clelands Jaguar, and rebrand to Lloyd Jaguar. The showroom will be relocated to its existing Land Rover Dealership.

Cars2 go live for Seat in Barnsley

Motor Mall take on Skoda Franchise in Isle of Man
Ballyrobert appoint Mazda in Antrim
Manchetts Launch Isuzu Commercials Dealer in Newmarket

Group 1 relocated their Volkswagen Van centre from Great North Road to Comet way Hatfield
Robins & Day Citroen Appointed Parts Distributor at Mill Street Maidstone
Arnold Clark Appointed for Citroen on Seafield Road in Edinburgh

Read appointed Hyundai, in Worksop
Greenhous Volkswagen Van Centre change franchise status
Howards Peugeot, Somerset refurbish their showroom
Dickens Mold change their franchise status
Citroen Van centre change franchise status

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Key Facts

Overall:

109 new records created.
403 records updated with new information.
124 records flagged as deleted.

Specifically:

10 Dealerships Acquired
27 Franchises Relinquished (15 of which were After-sales)
2 Dealerships Rebranded
10 Dealerships with new Franchises
5 Dealerships Relocated
8 Dealerships Relinquished their vehicle sales agreements
 

Overall changes shown geographically.

Compare UK car dealer database results January 2016

DATA UPDATE DECEMBER 2016

This month saw quite a few changes within the industry:

Thompson Motor Group, owners of 3 Audi sites have been acquired by Swansway. The sites are based in Carlisle, Blackburn and Preston.

Triple D Motorsport take on the Honda Motorcycle Off-road Franchise.

PV Dobson, who have been trading since the 1940’s recently lifted the curtain on their new Renault and Dacia site in Kendal.

Ssang Yong appoint Unity Automotive in Leicester. Existing brands at this site include, Jeep, Alfa Romeo, Great Wall, Subaru and Isuzu. 

Howard Motor Group reopens in Taunton. After six weeks the dealership has re-emerged with a modern Peugeot Showroom.

Shelly Motors Epsom are appointed Mitsubishi Dealers.

PDH Garages in Hassocks West Sussex add Abarth to their existing Alfa Romeo Dealer.

Jenkins and Pain, Dover are newly appointed as a Ford Accident Repair Centre.

Guest Motors, Thetford are appointed for Fiat Professional.

Brindley Volvo, Wolverhampton move into their new £1 Million pound dealership based on West Street.

633 new records created.
459 records updated with new information.
922 records flagged as deleted.

DATA UPDATE NOVEMBER 2016

A relatively busy month for November. A few highlights from the month below:

Walkers of Worksop appointed for Vauxhall Heavy Vans.

Evans Halshaw Vauxhall Leeds move from their Hunslett Road site to a new 20,000 square foot dealership in the Gelderd Motor Park.

Meryn Stewart in Belfast move into a temporary site, representing sales for the Infiniti brand.

Clark Commercials in Aberdeen become a new satellite for Renault LCV.

Honda Grantham benefit from a  showroom refurbishment. The refresh landmarks 20 years in business at the site.

Glyn Hopkin launch their new Nissan site in London N16.

Lookers Preston are appointed as a new parts distributor for Citroen.

Waterloo Place, Welshpool sees the departure of Greenhous. The site was purchased as part of the WR Davies acquisition in 2015.

Spirit Skoda Harlow have been acquired by Progress Motor Group. Progress currently operates Suzuki across Buckinghamshire and Northamptonshire.

105 new records created.
517 records updated with new information.
86 records flagged as deleted.

DATA UPDATE OCTOBER 2016

Snippets of some of the Franchised Dealer changes throughout the month of October:

Eastern Western Motor Group have opened a new flagship dealership in Edinburgh. Costing in the region of 6.5 million pounds, the site is situated on the Corstophine Road.

Sytner have opened a new Bentley studio situated in London’s high end village of Westfield. The studio opened on the 3rd of October.

Lookers opened a £12m flagship Jaguar, Land Rover site in West London. The landmark site is said to be the perfect representation of the two brands.

Richard Hardie opens a new site in Scotswood Road, Newcastle. The site was acquired from Vertu and includes Alfa Romeo, Fiat and Jeep brands.

Following a £150k investment, Trenton open their new Peugeot dealership in Hull.

At a cost of £180k, another refurbishment is completed at Bristol Streets Vauxhall dealer in Carlisle. Showroom, aftersales and service department were all included in the facelift.

In a snap buying spree, Northampton based dealer group Motorvogue have acquired Wests. The purchase included Citroen, Dacia and Renault brands in Norfolk and Bedford.

Records updated in our system this October:

34 new records created.
194 records updated with new information.
28 records flagged as deleted.

DATA UPDATE SEPTEMBER 2016

A few highlights of this months dealer updates:

Lexus Acquisition - Hatfield Site
The Steven Eagell Group has taken on a long standing Lexus site from its previous owners Lookers. Lexus is a first for the Eagell group who already operate a number of Toyota dealerships in the South of England.

The Aston Martin Brand Extends to Mayfair
To further enhance the Aston Martin ‘brand experience’, the manufacturer has opened a boutique site in Mayfair, London. All about Aston Martins ‘brand heritage’, the site in Dover Street is focused on hosting pursuits of the affluent (as well as showcasing the Aston Martin brand).

Due to its current owner retiring, the Car Shop in Somerset has been acquired by Snows Group. The site based on the Lynx West Trading Estate will now begin trading as Snows Seat.

Chatfields Truck Dealers Adopt Evans Halshaw Branding
All of the Chatfields sites will now be branded accordingly, as owner Pendragon integrates Chatfields into the Evans Halshaw business.

New Honda Centre in Morpeth
Previously a service centre for Bristol St Ford, the new dealership has been built to the latest Honda specification.

City Motor Holdings in Administration
Failure to find a buyer for the multi-site dealer group, sadly puts it into administration. Sites affected are Basingstoke, Newbury and Reading. Peugeot, Kia, Suzuki, Citroen, Honda, Seat and Ford are all casualties.

Leisure World Group Attracts MG Franchise
A new appointment for the Catterick (North Yorkshire) site.

Flagship Kia Dealership is The Biggest in Europe
Norton Way Motors (GWR Kia) opens in a prime location alongside the M4 in Brentford.

More detail on the number of records updated in our system throughout September:

38 new records created.
329 records updated with new information.
61 records flagged as deleted.

Data Update Aug 2016

August sees changes for the Sutton Park group, who took the Suzuki car franchise into its recently refurbished showroom in the centre of Birmingham. This takes the total to 2 sites in the Birmingham area for Suzuki (with the other site being located in Halesowen).

Trustford in Epsom relocated and launched its new £4m site on the Blenheim Rd. As well as having a Ford Store and Transit Centre the site includes a new business centre, plus extended opening hours.

As well as the recent Drayton Group acquisition, Lookers added Knights Group to their portfolio with another £27 million investment, giving access to both BMW and Mini brands.

Glyn Hopkin's Renault (and Dacia) Colchester dealership redevelopment is now complete, this swiftly follows the opening of its new Renault and Dacia Dealership in Chelmsford. Additionally, a third site supporting both brands was opened in St Albans, back in July.

If only we just had the changes above to record! As well as these, we've been creating, updating and deleting records across the entire dealer landscape. In August alone:

125 new records created.
595 records updated with new information.
196 records flagged as deleted.

Data Update July 2016

So what happened in July? You'd think it would be quiet with the holiday season close by. Well, no holidays for us (yet!). Committed, as ever to keeping our franchised data set in rude health.

122 new records created.
662 records updated with new information.
177 records flagged as deleted.

We've been gathering feedback recently to understand why our customers use data services like ours. The general consensus seems to be that leading companies are always looking for new ways to outperform their peers. In many competitive industries, many of you felt that using data driven strategies were essential in order for you to innovate, compete and add value.

As product creators, this kind of feedback is like music to our ears. But we won't be resting on our laurels anytime soon. Our focus on maintaining, and continually improving the integrity of our data remains absolute.

Data Update June 2016

Bit late posting Junes figures, but it doesn't mean we've been sat on our hands! Automechanika turned out to be a real success, keeping us delightfully busy with both new prospects and customers. Here's Junes update numbers:

114 new records created.
487 records updated with new information.
149 records flagged as deleted.

Just because we were kept out of mischief in June, doesn't mean everybody else was. A big thanks to all of you who gave us your feedback on how you've been using our reporting to your advantage.

Automechanika Birmingham - Is it Worth Attending?

For those who were asking themselves if it was worth attending the Automechanika show at the Birmingham NEC, we'd have to say a resounding YES.

Just so you know, the Automechanika event at the NEC in Birmingham was cited to have received over 12000 visitors. It was certainly buzzing, but it never felt overcrowded. We believe it the first time that both supply chain and aftermarket businesses were presented under one roof. 

As well as hosting well over 200 manufacturers and supply chain exhibitors, it featured keynote speakers as well as useful aftermarket and technical theatres.

The UK motor industry is regarded as a successful and innovative global player, this was reflected in the willingness for some major automotive supply companies to be represented at the event.

There's progress for you!

For 2017, the event is set to grow with a further 35% in stand space projected.

We found it a very convenient location to meet up with our customers, many of which are motor manufacturers and companies that market to the automotive industry. 

Having spoken to many of the exhibitors, it was good to see how so many smaller companies innovate and how their successes have encouraged them to drive forward and prosper in what can only be described as a ‘challenging’ economic climate.

We'll definitely be present at Automechanika 2017.