7:41 am, December 15, 2020
The Car Dealer Top 100 list of most profitable dealers in the UK is to be revealed this Thursday.
Following months of compilation by our partners ASE Global, the Car Dealer Top 100 sponsored by GForces, will finally be unveiled.
The list pitches franchised dealers against independents for the first time and is based on the only figure that matters in business – how much money they make.
The list is based on 2019 numbers and takes into account years ended no later than February 28, 2020.
As such, it will give us a pre-Covid look at the industry with the list ranked using EBITDA, adjusted for exceptional items presented on the face of the income statement.
The list was originally due to be released in October, but many dealer groups took advantage of the extension afford to them by Companies House to file accounts for last year.
Mike Jones, chairman of ASE Global, and the compiler of the list, said many companies had used this extension and it was decided to delay the list until a representative number of dealers had filed.
Our list has uncovered some surprises and is a fascination comparison of how some of the big independent used car dealer groups stack up against their franchised rivals.
Tim Smith, chief commercial officer of the Top 100 headline sponsor GForces, said the list will give a ‘level playing field’ for dealers of all shapes and sizes to be compared.
He said: ‘As a franchised dealer, you operate under the auspices of manufacturers with a lot of restrictions – there are benefits, obviously, like volume bonuses.
‘As independent, it’s all about swift stock turn, buying right, trading and getting profit out of every single vehicle.
‘However, as with all businesses, it comes down to efficiency of operation, the skill within the organisation in order to make the most of the resources at its disposal.
‘This is a fair playing field. The scale of some of the largest dealer groups plays into this, but what is going to be really interesting is how efficient each sector is.’
Car Dealer will be speaking to the experts behind the list and interviewing the winners this week ahead of the full release on Thursday.
To view the full list, and to be notified as soon as it comes out, you must be a member of the Car Dealer website. The Car Dealer Top 100 will be reserved for members only who have signed up with their name and email address.
You can do that by clicking here.
- Register as a Car Dealer member and get more out of the website here
- Car Dealer Mag issue 153 is out now – Read it here
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