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Mann opens up in Coventry

27th January 2000
Page 49
Page 49, 27th January 2000 — Mann opens up in Coventry
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• Mercedes-Benz dealer Gerard Mann is opening a used van and truck centre just off Humber Road in Whitley, Coventry with room for about 14 vehicles. Aside from its new van and truck activities, the company also sells used CVs from pitches in Birmingham and the former Mercedes-owned site at Neachalls Lane, Wolverhampton.

The extra site should allow the firm to boost its throughput of second-hand vehicles from 325 in 1999 to a planned 400-420 this year.

"We're very much locked into the manufacturer's Signature approved used programme, and it's working out very well for us," says Gerry Smith, general manager at Gerard Mann Commercials. "Although Sprinter vans account for most of our secondhand business, we're getting plenty of interest in Varios. We get a lot of money for them—when we can get hold of them. We're selling a lot of 814 7.5-tanners and some unusual heavies," he adds. "We've sold three or four 2544 tractive units recently, for example, and they fetched good money, even though they were six or seven years old."

What about more mainstream vehicles? "We've been able to move 1834s on, although we wouldn't want to stock them in huge numbers." says Smith.

"As for used Actros tractors, they're not selling OS quickly as we would like—we've sold about four so far'—but we find that once we've got people behind the wheel they love them," he adds. "What's more they're proving reliable, and long service intervals represent another selling point." And how about Ategos? "We sell every one w get in a matter of days," he report!

IN the used CVs he and his col leagues sell, 99% boar the three pointed star, although they do occa sionally stock a non-franchis vehicle. "We might put the odd Fan Transit on display, but we general!: try to stick to what we know," hl says. "Overall, our profit per vehicli is going up—and it's up on thi Sprinter quite dramatically."


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