1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
21
22
23
24
25
26
27
28
29
30
31
32
33
34
35
36
37
38
39
40
41
42
43
44
45
46
47
48
49
50
51
52
53
54
55
56
57
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109
110
111
112
113
114
115
116
117
118
119
120
121
122
123
124
125
126
127
128
129
130
131
132
133
134
135
136
137
138
139
140
141
142
143
144
145
146
147
148
149
150
151
152
153
154
155
156
157
158
159
160
161
162
163
164
165
166
167
168
169
170
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194 
Decades of Daf dedication
Page 72
Page 73
If you've noticed an error in this article please click here to report it so we can fix it.
Daf Trucks sits at the top of the tree when it comes to selling new trucks, so how does its independent franchise network set about re-marketing in the used sector? CM visits Ford & Slater in Leicester.
and became a franchised LeylandTruck distributor in 1965. During the 1980s it changed hands several times before coming under the ownership of Peter Strevens.Today the family-owned Daf franchised dealership Ford & Slater has sites down the M1 at Peterborough, on the levels in Lincoln, in Kings Lynn, and Norwich.
Like the rest of the DafTrucks' dealer network, except the outlet on the edge of Heathrow, Ford & Slater is independent. Of its eight sites only Leicester, Kings Lynn and Norwich sell used trucks. In fact location is pretty irrelevant. Colin Kingsbeer, used truck sales manager at Leicester,explains:"We do sell locally but we actually sell more nationwide."
History... and future
Kingsbeer joined the used truck trade after leaving the army in the early 1970s and has been at Leicester for the past 15 years; his second stint under the Ford & Slater banner.
During this time the company's used truck operation has grown to sell more than 400 units last year; new truck sales exceeded 1,750.
Kingsbeer has mapped out the next 12 months. A remarketing deal with a contract-hire company business is set to improve sales by more than a third.The extra vehicles are fleet specification and 30 have already found new homes.
But he readily admits that the used market has become more difficult, not least because of a growing number of non-franchised dealers: "Independent non-franchise dealers sell at trade prices to the end user. It makes our job more difficult to retail to the same customers."
While margins are a major issue Kingsbeer argries that the franchised network is able to provide better vehicles: "You know where they have been." He cites advantages such as inspections and service histories.
Rarity boosts residuals Over the past 12 months specific Daf models have been hard to come by The 65CF 18tonner in particular has held its price well and sells quickly. Strong demand for the 7.5-tonne LF has also boosted prices. His bread-and butter stock includes 7.5-tonners with box, curtainsider or tipper bodies and the tractor units,while local buyers are always looking for 8x4 tippers with insulated bodies and day cabs.
Residual prices are performing well across the board — the flagship XF tractor with the Super Space Cab is always a fast seller. Predicting residuals is a tough call as Kingsbeer looks at market values for new sales sometimes six to eight months ahead. But 2005 looks like being another good year for this expanding operation. •