7:05 am, June 1, 2020
- Here’s your business, motoring and news round-up for Monday, June 1
Car dealers reopening today
Dramatic changes to ensure customers feel safe and confident to visit car dealerships again have been rolled out ahead of showrooms reopening today.
From unaccompanied test drives to ensure social distancing is maintained, to perspex screens between salespeople and customers – car dealers are set to look very different for the foreseeable future.
Vertu Motors CEO Robert Forrester said: ‘There will be a number of differences. Showrooms have one-way systems, hand sanitising, there will be people with masks and we have perspex screens to protect customers and colleagues.’ Read the full story here.
Major changes to lockdown today
There are several major changes to the lockdown coming into force today – but officials have reminded the public there are £100 penalties for those caught breaking the rules.
Children in Reception, Years 1 and 6 will go back to school, outdoor markets will be allowed to resume and you can meet people in groups of up to six outside.
From today, the two million people who have been shielding in England can now leave the house to spend time with people outdoors. Restrictions still apply in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Public urged to be sensible as restrictions relaxed
A government health expert has told people to limit themselves to what is ‘sensible’ rather than ‘possible’ ahead of lockdown restrictions being eased in England.
At the daily Downing Street Covid-19 press conference yesterday, deputy chief medical officer Dr Jenny Harries warned people to use common sense as restrictions are lifted.
Dr Harries said now is a ‘critical time’ and urged people to ensure they did not contribute to a resurgence of the virus.
Lookers to announce findings of fraud investigation
Car dealer group Lookers will announce the findings of an internal investigation into potential fraud unearthed at the business this week, reports The Telegraph.
In March, the company announced it was delaying its results after discovering suspect transactions in one division of the company. Lookers described these as ‘misrepresented debtor balances in respect of bonus receivables’ and ‘fraudulent expenses claims’.
Grant Thornton were appointed to investigate and later this week the group is expected to release the findings.
Ford expands Puma line-up
Ford has bolstered the appeal of its Puma crossover with the introduction of a new high-end specification and a seven-speed dual-clutch automatic gearbox.
The ST-Line X Vignale trim level, which arrives from £25,240, extends the amount of standard equipment fitted to the Puma.
Aluminium exterior trim pieces have been added to the exterior of the car alongside 18-inch alloys, while LED headlights help to improve night time visibility.
Aston Martin badge creators launch fundraiser
Vaughtons, the creators of badges which sit on Aston Martins, has launched a special NHS ‘Rainbow Badge’ to help raise money.
Priced at £9.99, all profits from the sale of the badges will go directly to NHS Charities Together.
Crafted using traditional methods, each badge is stamped and polished in the same manner as the emblems used on Aston Martins. Rainbow-coloured enamel is then applied on top to form the eye-catching rainbow design.
Microsoft ‘to replace journalists with robots’
Microsoft is to replace dozens of journalists on its MSN website and use automated systems to select news stories instead.
The curating of stories from news organisations and selection of headlines and pictures for the MSN site is currently carried out by journalists, but the global website will use artificial intelligence to perform the tasks in the future.
The computer-aided journalism will see around 50 journalists lose their jobs at the end of June.
Car Dealer Live today: Alexanders Prestige’s Andrew North live at midday today.
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