Full-year results will be ahead of expectations, says Pendragon

11:04 am, January 16, 2015

PENDRAGON plc, the largest automotive retailer in the UK, has said that its full-year results for the 2014 financial year will be ahead of expectations.

The company, which represents more than 20 brands in the UK and the USA, and works with both specialist and volume manufacturers, says it is cautiously optimistic about the prospects for 2015.

A trading statement published ahead of the release of its full-year figures on February 17 reported that:

Trading in its motor division continues to be ahead of the 2013 financial year, with its performance in the area of used cars ‘progressing further’.
Visits to the websites Stratstone.com, Evanshalshaw.com and Quicks.co.uk increased by 18.8 per cent in the fourth quarter.
The immediate post-Christmas period saw an increase of 36 per cent in web visits – and that there was a hefty 65 per cent jump in the level of tablet and mobile device activity during that period.

The company, which has its head office in Nottingham, also reported good progress with its ‘sell your car’ initiative, with 38 retail points now operating from our dealerships in the UK. Under the scheme, consumers can sell their cars direct to evanshalshaw.com, who say they will pay them more than ‘webuyanycar.com’.

Pendragon chief executive Trevor Finn, pictured, said: ‘We are pleased to report that our 2014 full-year performance will be ahead of expectations. Our strategic focus on used performance and our online activities continues to deliver enhanced value and we are looking forward to some exciting opportunities to come in 2015.’

Pendragon’s largest representation is with Ford, closely followed by Vauxhall where the company is the largest retailer in the UK.