10:37 am, February 25, 2014
THE British economy is in far better shape than official statistics show, according to Robert Forrester, chief executive of Vertu Motors.
The level of consumer demand has been accelerating so quickly in recent months that recruitment at his company has struggled to keep pace, he says in an interview with The Scotsman newspaper.
Forrester’s thoughts on the state of the car market – as well as his own business of course – make for a fascinating read.
He tells the paper: ‘We are putting more people into dealerships. In the last six months, we’ve not had enough people to cope with the level of sales.’
The piece by Dominic Jeff records how Forrester gained his first taste of the motor trade while working as a chartered accountant.
He went on to land the job of finance director at legendary car dealer Reg Vardy, before founding Vertu with fellow Reg Vardy executives after the company was sold to Pendragon in 2006.
Jeff reports: ‘Vertu was launched with a £25 million placing on the Alternative Investment Market and has now raised a total of £131 million.’
The group operates 106 outlets representing 19 manufacturers across the UK.
Forrester goes on to emphasise the importance of employing the right people to help make his business successful. And he says: ‘I like the car sales business, because it’s very complicated.’
Read the interview in full here.
