Retailers will be cautiously reopening their doors on 1 June, and with the reopening of other shops coming shortly afterwards there are likely to be a fair few cars being started up that have lain...

With concerns for retailers raised over the increased take-up of electric vehicles, we put the question of reduced aftersales revenue to Daksh Gupta, chief executive of Marshall Motor Group, where...

The widespread adoption of electric vehicles could see retailers’ revenue on servicing drop by 40% and on parts by 20%. So says Petter Nordesjo, former managing director at BMW Sweden and member of...

Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles (VW CV) is cautiously optimistic about its fortunes this year given the strength of its product range, but has no plans to expand its network dramatically. Instead it is...

In a surprise move, Lookers is to sell its parts division to Alliance Automotive for £120m in order to fund further dealer group acquisitions. Originating in France, Alliance Automotive Group was...

US auto retail managers, many of whom built their businesses from scratch, are struggling to get to grips with a new generation of employees who don’t want to work the traditional 60 hours a...

The concept of parts wholesaling is nothing new. The average franchise dealer will supply a certain amount of parts to the independent sector as and when they are needed and there’s profit to be made...

Peugeot Citroen is overhauling its parts distribution operation to fend off competition from independents. PSA, both in the UK and across Europe, is switching from a single main warehouse per country...

Before Christmas is upon us, I thought I’d share a fantastic retail experience I had buying some wheels and tyres for my car, just to show that it is possible to get it 100% right. Before I start, I...

Franchised retailers and manufacturers face significant market challenges when attempting to tap into the parts wholesale business. Not the least of which are rival independent parts suppliers...

Consolidation of the wholesale auto parts market, both from a regional and global perspective, is ramping up stimulated by attractive cash flow and stable demand in developed markets. This is allied...

How profitable is your trade parts business? For many smaller dealerships, there is probably no profit at all. Think about your current trade parts customer base – and the 80:20 rule. You are...

A couple of months ago we wrote in Auto Retail Bulletin about the opportunities for online parts and accessories sales through eBay Motors. All the evidence shows that more and more customers are...

Mazda is set to introduce an online sales system for parts and accessories by the end of the year to boost retailer profitability. Want to read more articles on this website? Sign up for a free trial...

We are now half way through one of the most difficult years for motor traders in a long time. The latest new car sales figures show the market continuing to fall, although the rate of decline may have...

The internet isn’t all new and used car sales, there’s also a flourishing market for parts and accessories as a recent deal between eBay and BMW has shown. BMW UK’s operation,...

Much has already been written about BMW Direct, the recently launched official BMW parts and accessories store on eBay. We believe it’s a significant step forward for the franchised auto retail...

By Jeff Smith Author Jeff Smith is the MD of Insight Training & Development Dealerships often waste a lot of time to technicians waiting for parts at the back counter. You could pre-pick the parts...

Baylis Vauxhall of Cheltenham added an Express Factors franchise to its operations around two and a half years ago, which it has now built up into a £300,000 annual turnover business. “We...

by David Lansdowne Stock checks are an essential element of good parts management. To complete a full annual check as quickly and accurately as possible: Want to read more articles on this website?...