08 November 2020

Tuesday (10 November) is a special day for Auto Retail Network, the publisher of Auto Retail Agenda, as sister title Auto Retail Bulletin will see the 200^th issue land on subscribers’ desks.

Since long before we started publishing Auto Retail Bulletin, back in 2004, we have not seen a year like 2020.

Some of the many things I’ve been reminded of this year are the resilience, tenacity and positive outlook of retailers. While the first lockdown initially had a frankly appalling impact on businesses, the upside was a huge acceleration in the ability to sell online. And now that we’re in lockdown 2.0 there’s none of the shock to the system experienced when showrooms shut their doors in mid-March.

A second lockdown isn’t going to stop us celebrating our 200^th issue, either. You’ll see from the cover – pictured – that we’ve featured a few of our most significant covers from the past 16 years and, inside, co-founder Rupert Saunders has given a potted history to The Bulletin.

Birthdays aside, issue 200 is a belter. With talk of agency agreements coming to UK networks soon, we’ve a follow-up report on Toyota New Zealand and its move to an agency agreement. We first wrote about this two years ago at its inception; now we examine what worked and what didn’t.

We also talk to Volvo’s UK boss Kristian Elvefors about his plans for online sales and national pricing. Auto Retail Bulletin also looks at how online becomes e-commerce.

If you’re not already a subscriber, why not take a free trial and see what it’s all about? https://www.auto-retail.co.uk/free-trial-subscription/

Tristan Young

Editorial Director

Auto Retail Network