Small Manufacturer Franchised Dealers.
Discussion
A couple of sites that I have carried out some work for in the recent years.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.3017818,-1.79867...
(Now part of a bigger group)
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.2618868,-2.81076...
(Lost Jaguar last year, now have Renault instead)
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@55.3017818,-1.79867...
(Now part of a bigger group)
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@54.2618868,-2.81076...
(Lost Jaguar last year, now have Renault instead)
Does this count? The larger building on the back is a workshop for the garage but works on other cars and does Mot's as well I think the sign says.
View from the high street of Beauly.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@57.4829086,-4.46076...
The back building seeming to work with argocats the most.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Aird+Motors+Lt...
View from the high street of Beauly.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@57.4829086,-4.46076...
The back building seeming to work with argocats the most.
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/place/Aird+Motors+Lt...
GuyMartinsSideys said:
This has got to be the smallest dealer in the prettiest location -
https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@56.2290915,-5.07452...
WD Semple, retail Renault dealer up in Inverary.
Great view too!
Semples sell loads of cars. No shortage of Renaults and Dacias in this part of the world with the yellow and black WD Semple sticker on the rear screen. They have a branch in Lochgilphead too. Despite the minimal frontage in Inveraray they do have a fair bit of space elsewhere.https://www.google.co.uk/maps/@56.2290915,-5.07452...
WD Semple, retail Renault dealer up in Inverary.
Great view too!
This is one of my favourite soap box topics.
Go back 20 years and most towns had one or more franchises represented. These were often the small rural dealerships or family owned group business with a few sites.
The issue that caused contention with the manufacturers was the proximity between dealers and the in house competition it brought about. In our corner you could visit 5 vauxhall dealerships ( 4 of the same family group) within a 45 minute drive time. If you were prepared to drive for an hour that number nearly doubled. This allowed the consumer to visit their local dealer in the morning (remember when a whole day was dedicated to visiting showrooms) and get a price. You then set off on a tour of the dealerships and negotiated ever better deals by playing one off against the last. Invariably you then returned to your local garage, showed them the best deal you'd been offered and he'd match it or beat it slightly to get your business.
Great for the consumer, less so for Vauxhall. They had sold you 1 car but were spending money on many outlets.
In the 90's dealer groups began to more accurately track customers using Martec and the like to control these in house price conflicts better. In reality they just short circuited the dealing process. If you arrived on our site with a tracker number we just out bid the last guy to get the deal, as did all the sites.
in the late 90's the manufacturers stepped in and "rationalised" the networks. Favouring a big dealer in major cities they terminated, often brutally, dozens of small local dealers, many with decades of service. The thinking being that they could focus marketing, development spend and CSI programmes on one big site and consumers would benefit accordingly. This was the beginning of the "Gin Palace" shift. The "Dealer standards" that require the showrooms of the day were brought about to ensure that only the big players could afford them.
Over the next decade the surviving family groups or larger independents were absorbed by the now major players and the huge sites we now see in the city sites were born.
Jump forward to the present day and you will start to see a return of smaller dealers, though not in the traditional full franchise set up. The big players (AC/Vardy/Lookers et al) are now a necessary part (evil) of the motor trade. The volumes that are required to survive as margins are driven ever lower require massive cash flow and huge capital spend. The manufacturers would simply be unable to replace the large PLC's with traditional dealers without decimating their own sales figures.
The down side of these massive garages (in the main, there are always exceptions) is the complete collapse of customer service. Businesses are so process driven that the key elements of the industry (cars and people) have been forgotten. Sales people now are little more than system operators and mechanics are so closely monitored that being able to pop out for a chat with a customer is a forgotten luxury.
What is beginning to happen now is that whilst the car makers need these big dealers to pump metal out they are seeing the results in disastrous CSI scores, huge downturns in "fixed first time" and the dissolution of brand loyalty and customer retention. To address this I think you will see a return of small town "service points" where you can access warranty work, parts and servicing in a far more relaxed atmosphere. Essentially these authorised repairers will provide the after sales service that has been almost entirely lost in the industry.
There will still be brand standards to ensure that the "experience" is compliant with the manufacturers image but there will be a return to having your car fixed locally. The lead times at the major centres are so horrific now that it is becoming ludicrous. Being quoted 10 week lead times for a minor service or worse, 12 weeks for a safety critical recall, are causing justifiable upset. These lead times though are often the result of the dealer having such massive volumes of business that they simply cannot accommodate the work. If you look at service retention figures for a small dealership in comparison to a city centre flagship (again in the main) they will be massively higher with the small site.
Just my 2p
Go back 20 years and most towns had one or more franchises represented. These were often the small rural dealerships or family owned group business with a few sites.
The issue that caused contention with the manufacturers was the proximity between dealers and the in house competition it brought about. In our corner you could visit 5 vauxhall dealerships ( 4 of the same family group) within a 45 minute drive time. If you were prepared to drive for an hour that number nearly doubled. This allowed the consumer to visit their local dealer in the morning (remember when a whole day was dedicated to visiting showrooms) and get a price. You then set off on a tour of the dealerships and negotiated ever better deals by playing one off against the last. Invariably you then returned to your local garage, showed them the best deal you'd been offered and he'd match it or beat it slightly to get your business.
Great for the consumer, less so for Vauxhall. They had sold you 1 car but were spending money on many outlets.
In the 90's dealer groups began to more accurately track customers using Martec and the like to control these in house price conflicts better. In reality they just short circuited the dealing process. If you arrived on our site with a tracker number we just out bid the last guy to get the deal, as did all the sites.
in the late 90's the manufacturers stepped in and "rationalised" the networks. Favouring a big dealer in major cities they terminated, often brutally, dozens of small local dealers, many with decades of service. The thinking being that they could focus marketing, development spend and CSI programmes on one big site and consumers would benefit accordingly. This was the beginning of the "Gin Palace" shift. The "Dealer standards" that require the showrooms of the day were brought about to ensure that only the big players could afford them.
Over the next decade the surviving family groups or larger independents were absorbed by the now major players and the huge sites we now see in the city sites were born.
Jump forward to the present day and you will start to see a return of smaller dealers, though not in the traditional full franchise set up. The big players (AC/Vardy/Lookers et al) are now a necessary part (evil) of the motor trade. The volumes that are required to survive as margins are driven ever lower require massive cash flow and huge capital spend. The manufacturers would simply be unable to replace the large PLC's with traditional dealers without decimating their own sales figures.
The down side of these massive garages (in the main, there are always exceptions) is the complete collapse of customer service. Businesses are so process driven that the key elements of the industry (cars and people) have been forgotten. Sales people now are little more than system operators and mechanics are so closely monitored that being able to pop out for a chat with a customer is a forgotten luxury.
What is beginning to happen now is that whilst the car makers need these big dealers to pump metal out they are seeing the results in disastrous CSI scores, huge downturns in "fixed first time" and the dissolution of brand loyalty and customer retention. To address this I think you will see a return of small town "service points" where you can access warranty work, parts and servicing in a far more relaxed atmosphere. Essentially these authorised repairers will provide the after sales service that has been almost entirely lost in the industry.
There will still be brand standards to ensure that the "experience" is compliant with the manufacturers image but there will be a return to having your car fixed locally. The lead times at the major centres are so horrific now that it is becoming ludicrous. Being quoted 10 week lead times for a minor service or worse, 12 weeks for a safety critical recall, are causing justifiable upset. These lead times though are often the result of the dealer having such massive volumes of business that they simply cannot accommodate the work. If you look at service retention figures for a small dealership in comparison to a city centre flagship (again in the main) they will be massively higher with the small site.
Just my 2p
Gassing Station | General Gassing | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff