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Lead times are losing sales for dealers
Page 69
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Franchised dealers are starting to haemorrhage customers as lead times extend. Kevin Swallow reports.
0 ne frustrated franchised dealership believes business is being lost as increasingly long lead times for trucks prove the last straw for operators.
The managing director, who wanted his and the dealers names withheld, felt its parent manufacturer was neglecting its UK operation in favour of Eastern Europe, to its detriment.
"Long lead times are, in increasing cases, the last straw for some of our customers looking to replace vehicles on the back of price hikes for Euro-4/.5, and the digital tachograph shambles,he says.
"Sales patterns have been brought forward to try to accommodate orders, but many feel they are being forced into buying trucks a year in advance of when they want them.
"That is a long commitment and one operators don't really want; they want more flexibility," he says-Questioned as to whether the dealership was able to satisfy the same customers with late-year models, he felt he was in the same boat as the independents."We are lucky that we get access to a strong in-house stock but there are a lot of fellow franchises battling for the same trucks— it's still first come, first served. We have to locate from the open market as much as the next dealer."
The issue was first raised by Lee Smith, director at independently owned Hanbury Riverside (CM 14 „Tune), when he stated that franchised dealers are losing business to the used market. •