While franchised dealerships have factory-trained workshop staff and the easiest access to diagnostics and VIN-linked part numbers, it’s their independent competitors who do most of the work...

No auto retailers – regardless of the marques they represent – are immune to the current economic downturn. In these straightened times, they must pro-actively focus on the areas where...

Service advisers play a crucial and demanding role in mediating between the workshop and its’ customers – and they are always the ones on the front-line who have to deliver the ‘bad...

Many auto retailers across the UK will be relieved that the government has put another £100 million into the vehicle scrappage scheme. The big winners have been the volume brands where customers...

The Motor Block Exemption Regulations specifically relating to the aftersales sector are currently being reviewed by the European Commission and it now appears likely that some aftersales-specific...

In the current climate it is more important than ever that a business has a strong portfolio of suppliers that can add value to their operation. Many businesses have been through a tough cost-cutting...

In this challenging market, with the current focus on minimising costs, there can be a temptation to reduce investment in key areas, such as employee development. However this short term approach...

The scale and duration of the current economic recession might still be the subject of heated debate but the impact on the motor trade is already becoming painfully clear. The dramatic decline in new...

The economic downturn is hitting retail sales hard. And aftersales revenues won’t escape; industry figures suggest the credit crunch is hitting aftersales revenues by around £20,000 per...

A recent survey has revealed that there is still massive untapped potential for dealerships to boost profits by legitimately upselling additional work to the customer. The survey, by Castrol...