• Car Dealer Plus
No Result
View All Result
  • Latest
  • Used Cars
  • Live
  • Forum
  • Power 2020
  • UCA 2020
  • UCA 2021
  • CDX
  • Knowledge
  • Suppliers Guide
  • About Us
  • Latest Issue
  • Top 100
  • CD Plus
  • Latest
  • Used Cars
  • Live
  • Forum
  • Power 2020
  • UCA 2020
  • UCA 2021
  • CDX
  • Knowledge
  • Suppliers Guide
  • About Us
  • Latest Issue
  • Top 100
  • CD Plus
No Result
View All Result

We sold 20 per cent more used cars last week than we did this time last year, says Vertu boss

John Bowman by John Bowman
June 17, 2020
0
Home News

Vertu Motors boss Robert Forrester has revealed that the dealership group sold 3,200 cars last week – a one-fifth increase in used cars on the same period in 2019.

Speaking today (Jun 15) on the Radio 4 consumer programme You and Yours, he told presenter Winifred Robinson about the sales trends, saying: ‘We’ve seen robust demand for all kinds of used cars and increasing demand for new cars, but we’ve definitely seen a shift in mix to cars less than £9,000 for which I think there is a variety of reasons.’

The group has more than 120 dealerships in England and 13 in Scotland, and Forrester said: ‘Last week we sold 3,200 retail cars in total across all our dealerships, and that included Scotland being closed, and on used cars that’s about 20 per cent more than last year.’


Asked why there had been such an increase, he replied: ‘I think there’s a variety of reasons. Certainly, some people are seeking to get a cheaper form of transport that’s safe and to come off public transport, we’ve definitely seen that, and they haven’t got a car to part-exchange, so we know pretty well that that is definitely a trend.

‘I think people actually aren’t going to have a holiday, or certainly not one overseas. They’ve got money to spend, and I think they go and try and buy a car, new or used, with which to go on holiday in the UK. For example, we were overstocked in Volkswagen camper vans coming into the lockdown and we’ve sold them all.’

Robinson wanted to know if he’d be able to keep all Vertu’s showrooms open and retain all staff, as he planned for the near- and long-term future, to which Forrester said: ‘I certainly think we’ll keep all our showrooms open. We’ve got a robust business. We’ve been around for over 100 years with our Bristol Street Motors brand.

‘I think at the moment, the pent-up demand, the degree of freedom being let out of your house for the first time in many weeks is moving people into the showroom. I think until we see something otherwise we’ve just got to try and maximise the opportunity and make sure the customers get what they need.’


Turning to the topic of click-and-collect, he said: ‘We sold 2,000 cars in the two months after the initial lockdown. So we were taking orders over the phone, no one was allowed in the showrooms, we were doing a lot of internet business, a lot of business over the phone, [we] couldn’t do test drives. But to put that into context, we sold 2,600 cars the week we opened the showrooms, so yes, the business was there, but it was sort of 10 per cent of normal levels I think.’

But although the internet route was proving popular, people still wanted to visit showrooms, he said.

‘People are looking on the internet, online, even buying online. Our pure online retailing sales have significantly gone up but still remain at quite low levels, so I think people still want to come to a dealership very safely, take a test drive – we have unaccompanied test drives now which is a novelty – and I still think they will actually want to see the car in the vast majority of cases.’

Investor calls for Vertu Motors to buy troubled Lookers or merge with Marshalls

Vertu Motors boss reveals hunt for acquisitions

Vertu Motors posts strong set of financial results for 2019/20

  • Want breaking news sent direct to your phone? Join our WhatsApp group. It is broadcast only, no chit chat, and delivers Car Dealer headlines to you as and when they happen. Send us a message here and ask to join, and we’ll send you a link.
  • Download the latest digital edition of Car Dealer Magazine Issue 147 for free here.

Get more from Car Dealer

  • Premium stories
  • Used car data
  • Magazine early access
Register

Or Sign in

Related Posts

TrustFord showrooms reopen, 12 April 2021, Covid
News

TrustFord chief tells of delight at reopening Covid-secure showrooms as special preview of Ford Mustang Mach-E marks occasion

April 12, 2021
Increase in demand for used commercial vehicles sees average price rise by 10 per cent
News

Manheim enjoys hat trick of records in used van sales for March

April 12, 2021
News

As showrooms reopen, UK car industry eyes up £22bn lost in turnover during pandemic

April 12, 2021
Bentley axes Bentayga diesel in European markets
News

Used diesel car prices reached record high during 2021 lockdown

April 12, 2021
Revealed: The used car models that made for a mad March
News

Revealed: The used car models that made for a mad March

April 12, 2021
All of Marshall Motor Group boss’s tweets counting down days to the grand April 12 reopening
News

All of Marshall Motor Group boss’s tweets counting down days to the grand April 12 reopening

April 12, 2021

Want the latest news?

Sign up to Car Dealer's daily news email updates

Subscribe
Electrified vehicle registrations overtake diesels for the first time in Europe
News

What is stopping car buyers from switching to EV? Our exclusive white paper reveals all

April 8, 2021
How many car dealerships does each manufacturer have in the UK? Car Dealerships Locations List 2021 revealed
News

How many car dealerships does each manufacturer have in the UK? Car Dealerships Locations List 2021 revealed

March 12, 2021
Used Car Awards with Mike Brewer and James Baggott graphi
News

Who won what at the Used Car Awards 2020? Mike Brewer reveals our winning car dealers

March 12, 2021
Used Car Awards 2021 logo
Used Car Awards

Used Car Awards 2021 will be back in all their glory on November 29 hosted by Mike Brewer

March 17, 2021
The Newcomers: Here are the 10 electric car brands coming to a forecourt near you soon
News

The Newcomers: Here are the 10 electric car brands coming to a forecourt near you soon

March 30, 2021
Trophy Cars forecourt
News

Investigation: Meet the hyper-specialist car dealers making their money from weird and wonderful motors

March 12, 2021
Car Dealer Top 100 – The list in full of the most profitable car dealers in the UK
Car Dealer Top 100

Car Dealer Top 100 – The list in full of the most profitable car dealers in the UK

February 10, 2021
BMW, Mercedes, Audi and Volvo, could they be sold under one roof?
News

Multi franchising: Premium brands rule out selling cars alongside rivals in same dealer – as others remain tight-lipped

March 11, 2021
  • Latest
  • Used Cars
  • Live
  • Forum
  • Power 2020
  • UCA 2020
  • UCA 2021
  • CDX
  • Knowledge
  • Suppliers Guide
  • About Us
  • Latest Issue
  • Top 100
  • CD Plus
Call us: 020 8125 3880

© 2020 Blackball Media

No Result
View All Result
  • Car Dealer Plus
  • Latest
  • Used Cars
  • Live
  • Forum
  • Power 2020
  • Used Car Awards 2020
  • Used Car Awards 2021
  • CDX
  • Knowledge
  • Suppliers Guide
  • About Us
  • Latest Issue
  • Top 100

© 2020 Blackball Media

Log In
Register
Register
Server 1