Arnold gets another one

Arnold gets another one

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cas20

174 posts

110 months

Tuesday 5th September 2017
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AM478899 said:
Anyone heard anything about Phoenix Stirling sits for Suzuki, Honda and Kia? Rumours are rife.
They rent the buildings from Arnold these days. What have you heard?

HendryG

308 posts

161 months

Wednesday 6th September 2017
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cas20 said:
They rent the buildings from Arnold these days. What have you heard?
Ive not heard anything but id take a stab that they are closing down due to losing money.

AM478899

6 posts

80 months

Monday 11th September 2017
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Rumour has it that Phoenix are pulling out of Stirling at end of September ( staff member ). Kia going to Fleer & Thomson from existing location short term ( until they build new Kia dealership), Honda going to Eastern Western in a new build site behind Stirling Audi ( alongside new Nissan showroom ) - poor location. Don't know about Suzuki or what Arnold plans for the site if he already owns it. Anyone got any ideas?

HendryG

308 posts

161 months

Tuesday 12th September 2017
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AM478899 said:
Rumour has it that Phoenix are pulling out of Stirling at end of September ( staff member ). Kia going to Fleer & Thomson from existing location short term ( until they build new Kia dealership), Honda going to Eastern Western in a new build site behind Stirling Audi ( alongside new Nissan showroom ) - poor location. Don't know about Suzuki or what Arnold plans for the site if he already owns it. Anyone got any ideas?
Parks might be interested in Mitsubishi and Suzuki as they like those franchises and have extended into Stirling with Macrae & Dick takeover.

There's definitely some truth in it as Eastern Western did announce plans for Nissan and a 2nd unnamed franchise at their new build at Broadleys so Honda would make sense.

Arnold might turn the Kerse Road sites into a motorstore as they seem to want one in every town, or maybe move some existing franchises there or maybe even new ones, Fiat in Stirling?

Would've thought Arnold would've been keen on Kia himself.

HendryG

308 posts

161 months

Sunday 17th September 2017
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Specialist Cars Nissan Dundee has moved to Macadam Place, Dryburgh Industrial Estate, I could be wrong but Im guessing this is the old Alistair Fleming/TOM Motors Citroen dealership which has recently closed down.

Whether this was planned and thats why TOM Citroen closed down or whether John Clark just took the option to purchase this site than build a new site for Nissan I dont know, I just know their old site at Myrekirk Road which was shared with Skoda, Seat (which was also at Macadam Place as Alistair Fleming until TOM took over and got rid of Seat) and VW Commercials was a temp site with the plan to move to a new site at some point elsewhere in Dundee.

EDIT: here we go: https://sbnn.co.uk/2016/08/02/10m-dundee-showroom-...

Nissan was supposed to move to Rutherford Road where John Clark BMW/MINI currently are, so either their plans as proposed in that article got rejected or they have another franchise coming onboard to fill the Rutherford Road BMW dealership when it moves or maybe its closing down totally now.

Edited by HendryG on Sunday 17th September 23:16

HendryG

308 posts

161 months

Sunday 17th September 2017
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Specialist Cars Nissan Dundee has moved to Macadam Place, Dryburgh Industrial Estate, I could be wrong but Im guessing this is the old Alistair Fleming/TOM Motors Citroen dealership which has recently closed down.

Whether this was planned and thats why TOM Citroen closed down or whether John Clark just took the option to purchase this site than build a new site for Nissan I dont know, I just know their old site at Myrekirk Road which was shared with Skoda, Seat (which was also at Macadam Place as Alistair Fleming until TOM took over and got rid of Seat) and VW Commercials was a temp site with the plan to move to a new site at some point elsewhere in Dundee.

EDIT: here we go: https://sbnn.co.uk/2016/08/02/10m-dundee-showroom-...

Nissan was supposed to move to Rutherford Road where John Clark BMW/MINI currently are, so either their plans as proposed in that article got rejected or they have another franchise coming onboard to fill the Rutherford Road BMW dealership when it moves or maybe its closing down totally now.

Edited by HendryG on Monday 18th September 00:32

HendryG

308 posts

161 months

Wednesday 20th September 2017
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AM478899 said:
Rumour has it that Phoenix are pulling out of Stirling at end of September ( staff member ). Kia going to Fleer & Thomson from existing location short term ( until they build new Kia dealership), Honda going to Eastern Western in a new build site behind Stirling Audi ( alongside new Nissan showroom ) - poor location. Don't know about Suzuki or what Arnold plans for the site if he already owns it. Anyone got any ideas?
Seems its not a rumour, and not only that but I totally did not see this coming:

https://www.arnoldclark.com/find-a-dealer/stirling...

cas20

174 posts

110 months

Saturday 30th September 2017
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Kia Stirling now has Flear and Thomson flags
Suzuki Stirling now has Arnold Clark flags but looks like it's surrounded by Mitsuibishi and Arnold Clark pre reg.
Spotted some navy blue ties and Western number plates at Honda.

RIP Phoenix Stirling

Edited by cas20 on Saturday 30th September 14:28

HendryG

308 posts

161 months

Sunday 1st October 2017
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cas20 said:
Kia Stirling now has Flear and Thomson flags
Suzuki Stirling now has Arnold Clark flags but looks like it's surrounded by Mitsuibishi and Arnold Clark pre reg.
Spotted some navy blue ties and Western number plates at Honda.

RIP Phoenix Stirling

Edited by cas20 on Saturday 30th September 14:28
I really cannot fathom why Arnold didn’t get Stirling Kia, they owned the site Kia was operating from so would’ve been a simple name change rather than this relocating and building a new showroom etc. And I’m amazed small fry like F&T got it ahead of AC who are huge and run nigh on a dozen Kia franchises already so are well in with Kia.

Will be interesting to see what Arnold does with the site long term once Western and F&T have gone.

The picture of Stirling Mitsubishi on ACs site actually shows the Suzuki dealership rather than the Mitsi one, what was happening with the actual Mitsi showroom when you passed, is it all AC now too or just the Suzuki one?

Would be Interested to know if Phoenix chose to do this to slim down or exit due to not making money or if it was forced on them by manufacturers or Arnold as their landlord.

I think Phoenix boobed and bright on their woes themselves by taking on all Japanese and Korean brands that were low volume and niche. It’s fine 1/2 but not 6/7, look at the success they had with Honda and then Mitsubishi but when they moved into Suzuki, Mazda, Kia, Hyundai, MG, etc it was too much of the same. At this rate they will end up solely back at Linwood where they started, their shrunk size in the past 6 years is huge, Aikenhead Road, Kirkcaldy, Grangemouth, Edinburgh, and Stirling all gone. And I reckon Glasgow May follow suit, Parks need more presence in Glasgow and like Honda and Suzuki and may fancy a move with them, leaving Phoenix just Linwood.

HendryG

308 posts

161 months

Saturday 7th October 2017
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Looks like Arnold Clark Linwood is no longer a Citroen service centre anymore, same for Walker Citroen Kirkcaldy.

Seemingly Citroen have restructured their network according to the sales manager at TOM Kilmarnock hence the closure of their Dundee and Ayr branches too.

Will be interesting to see what Arnold’s has in store for the now totally unfranchised Linwood branch, too small for a Motorstore.

cas20

174 posts

110 months

Wednesday 18th October 2017
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More Stirling news.... West End are building a new Skoda site due to open to Spring 2018. Plans look good.

HendryG

308 posts

161 months

Thursday 19th October 2017
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cas20 said:
More Stirling news.... West End are building a new Skoda site due to open to Spring 2018. Plans look good.
A long time coming because the current site is still a mess!!

Whereabouts is it going to be?

AM478899

6 posts

80 months

Thursday 19th October 2017
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Hi

Its down by the Peak / Stirling Albion opposite the sewage works. Hold your nose if visiting. Very poor location, site looks very tight and looks like it needed extensive groundworks as soft sand base - seemed to take ages piling it. Large electricity sub station next to it. Bizzare choice of location and size of site given other alternatives in Stirling.

Heard they are struggling as well.

HendryG

308 posts

161 months

Sunday 22nd October 2017
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The thought has just occurred to me that now that Phoenix have shut up shop in Stirling and Arnold owns all those properties, I wonder if when Western and Flear and Thomson vacate if Arnold May utilitise some of the land/property to relocate the Stirling Vauxhall dealership from Whins of Milton to there as that site is a bit strange in layout, seemingly short on space, in a residential area and seems to have parking issues with regular residents complaining.

Mitsubishi was a strange choice of franchise for Arnold to take on and quite unexpected as they are a low volume niche manufacturer who don’t sell hugely well, wonder if it will last long term.

AM478899

6 posts

80 months

Friday 17th November 2017
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Or Motorstore?

HendryG

308 posts

161 months

Tuesday 21st November 2017
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Just thinking that aside from Arnold Clark, Parks/Douglas Park, Western And now Flear & Thomson the only dealers left in Stirling are Hardie Peugeot and Morrison’s Seat, Jag Land Rover.

With increased consolidation in the motor trade I can see Arnold taking over Hardies Peugeot, and maybe acquiring Morrison’s Seat franchise, with Parks swooping for their Jag Land Rover dealerships now they have a presence in Stirling.

Still really surprised Arnold didn’t take on Kia in Stirling rather than let F&T have it, because with their clout and relationship with Kia I’m sure if they wanted it they’d have got it.

I also recently noticed since it’s refurbishment that West Calder Vauxhall is now a full new car sales dealer again having previously been an authorised repairer only since Arnold acquired from Woods.

Parks at Whifflet in Coatbridge refurbishment has now been completed and just awaiting new signage.

Parks got knocked back for planning permission for extending the land at Doonfoot Road Ayr Honda franchise due to increase in business due to complaints from residents, and still waiting to see what they plan to do with the former Jag and Land Rover dealerships in Ayr now they’ve built them a new showroom on the plot next door to the previous site which Volvo still resides in.

There are due to be many more changes in the motor trade in 2018 from what I hear.

cas20

174 posts

110 months

Tuesday 21st November 2017
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HendryG said:
Just thinking that aside from Arnold Clark, Parks/Douglas Park, Western And now Flear & Thomson the only dealers left in Stirling are Hardie Peugeot and Morrison’s Seat, Jag Land Rover.

With increased consolidation in the motor trade I can see Arnold taking over Hardies Peugeot, and maybe acquiring Morrison’s Seat franchise, with Parks swooping for their Jag Land Rover dealerships now they have a presence in Stirling.

Still really surprised Arnold didn’t take on Kia in Stirling rather than let F&T have it, because with their clout and relationship with Kia I’m sure if they wanted it they’d have got it.

I also recently noticed since it’s refurbishment that West Calder Vauxhall is now a full new car sales dealer again having previously been an authorised repairer only since Arnold acquired from Woods.

Parks at Whifflet in Coatbridge refurbishment has now been completed and just awaiting new signage.

Parks got knocked back for planning permission for extending the land at Doonfoot Road Ayr Honda franchise due to increase in business due to complaints from residents, and still waiting to see what they plan to do with the former Jag and Land Rover dealerships in Ayr now they’ve built them a new showroom on the plot next door to the previous site which Volvo still resides in.

There are due to be many more changes in the motor trade in 2018 from what I hear.
Lookers Audi and West End Skoda are both still in Stirling.

HendryG

308 posts

161 months

Tuesday 21st November 2017
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cas20 said:
Lookers Audi and West End Skoda are both still in Stirling.
Oh aye forgot about them! My spider senses gel me it may not be long before Arnie wants West End Skoda in its entirety once the new Stirling site is completed.

Shandiness

11 posts

145 months

Saturday 25th November 2017
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Firstly, I am loving this forum. Growing up in Perth in the 80s/90s and with an interest in cars i spent a lot of time dragging my dad to the "Motor Mile" so from there developed a real interest in the comings and goings of the dealerships.

I picked up my current car, a used Seat, from the Perth Motorstore (the ex Chevvy dealership) and was told by the salesman that, when the new Fiat/ Abarth/ Motorstore opens on The Triangle (opposite Merc on the other side of the A9), the ex Nissan Motorstore showroom will become Dacia and the ex Chevvy Motorstore showroom will become Renault.

As for the current Renault showroom (ex Ness Motors and Inveralmond Renault prior to that) I'm not sure. When it was Inveralmond it was part of the Cameron Group (Audi/ VW in Perth) as is Strathmore Volvo which sits alongside it. Given that the buildings are joined to each other, I don't know if Camerons still owns the Renault site or not. If they do, I wonder if they'd look at bulldozing the whole lot and building a new Volvo showroom on the site. They look to be refurbishing the Audi showroom again so they seem to have some sort of refurbishment programme.

If not, I've always been surprised by the lack of a Hyundai dealership in Perth since Belmont closed around 2006 at the bottom of Newhouse Road. I'd have thought Arnold would have been keen to get them into Perth given how their market share has grown.

I can help with a couple of things.

1) I saw a comment about Norman Fairweather Motors in Dundee and asking if he had an outpost in Peterhead. Yes indeed. In the mid-early 90s he decided to look at expanding from Dundee (Proton/ Lada and later Skoda) and opened a Proton dealership in Craigshaw Drive,Aberdeen and a Nissan dealership in Dales Industrial Estate, Peterhead. At the time he had a business partner who would run the existing Dundee operation to let Norman grow the new businesses. However, I believe that they struggled with the upscaling and both the Peterhead and Aberdeen branches ended up being closed, allowing Norman to go back and focus on Dundee. John Clark group used the Proton showroom in Aberdeen as their Skoda dealership for many years, and still use it for used car overspill, and Arnold took over Peterhead and put Ford in.

Norman initially started in the late 80s as a Yugo dealer on Tannadice St, Dundee when he left Barnetts and moved to the Kingsway in the 90s to sell Proton, Lada and Yugo. Yugo obviously had their problems and then when Lada pulled out of the UK Norman got the Skoda franchise around 1997 and it quickly became the mainstay of the business. He added Mitsubishi around 2000 when they did a big dealership expansion programme and built them a new showroom beside the main one. This lasted until around 2004 when Mitsubishi was terminated and he took the opportunity to move Proton out of the main showroom and there instead, giving Skoda its own showroom. I ended up working for Norman for 2.5 years in Dundee as a salesman around then and really enjoyed my time there. He was a fair man so fitting of the name! When I left he was looking to put another franchise into the Proton showroom and boot Proton outside and he then took on Suzuki. However, this was gone by 2010 and he decided to turn it into a prestige car showroom. I believe, when buying the stock for this, he became the victim of a horrible scam and this was what led to the financial troubles and the subsequent collapse of the business. A real shame for what was otherwise a really good going Skoda dealership. The thing I always remember from working there is that the dealership still had a Yugo umbrella, which was used regularly and had successfully outlived all their cars!

2) There was a comment asking what John Clark's Specialist Cars Nissan showroom in Perth has been used for before as it looked like an old car showroom. It was indeed.

When i was a child it was A.C. Munro Hyundai around 1990 and then opened up as an independent called "Perth 4x4 Centre" which dealt in used 4x4s, run by a guy called James Dalgleish who I think was ex-Grassicks. He then took on the Subaru and Isuzu franchises there around 1996ish and was later bought out by Anderson Cars of Aberdeen who hit financial problems in 2000. Another Aberdeen group, Town and County then took the site over, continued with Subaru and Isuzu but then added Daihatsu (around 2001) and later also Seat (around 2003) to the mix. The dealership closed unexpectedly a few years later and traded briefly as a furniture shop so it's good to see motor trade back in there.

I wonder if Mitsubishi is where we are going to see a bit of change soon. The Outlander PHEV has been their saviour in a lot of ways, especially for the business sales market, and I think some of the bigger dealer groups are taking note again. Aberdeen and Aberdeenshire (Station Garage), Inverness (Seafield Motors), Dundee and Tayside (Richard Lawson), Cupar and Kirkcaldy (Fife Mitsubishi) are all served by smaller operations so if a larger company with a bit of financial clout wanted to, I'm sure they could make a bit of an impact. Especially now that Arnold has gained one franchise and has a few places in Glasgow (Shields Road for example) where he could probably put another.

Oh and I have to say that, after all the internet stories and arnoldsucks.com, I had real reservations about buying from Arnold. However, they actually gave me a really good deal, a decent part exchange (allbeit one that required a bit of haggling), and were totally communicative throughout the buying process. Plus I have had a couple of follow up e-mails. Really enjoying the new car too.Not had to use them for servicing though right enough!



Edited by Shandiness on Saturday 25th November 14:28

Shandiness

11 posts

145 months

Saturday 25th November 2017
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Oh and other independents/ smaller outlets operating up here

- Station Garage Mitsubishi Aberdeen and Torphins
- Memsie Garage Renault Fraserburgh
- Ewens of Cornhill Honda
- Portsoy Motors Renault
- Gillanders Peterhead Suzuki and Peugeot
- C&M McDonald Suzuki Kintore
- Lawrence of Kemnay, Inverurie Ford and Subaru
- Alexander Wallace Toyota
- Aboyne Ford
- Huntly Ford
- Alexander Wallace Toyota Elgin
- Alan Milne Peugeot Elgin
- Pedigreed Cars Citroen Forres
- Hawco Inverness, Peterhead, Elgin, (well documented)
- Mackie Motors Brechin and Arbroath (well documented)
- Autovision, Mackays of Dingwall, Regency Buckie and Elgin Vauxhall (well documented)
- Ken's Garage Peugeot Kildary/ Bannerman Seat Inverness
- Ben Nevis Motors Ford Fort William
- Seafield Motors Mitsubishi