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' M um Hartshorne is in mm• the van market
Page 50
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• Heavy truck dealers have got to diversify if they've going to have a long-term future, says Brian Bachelor, sales director at Hartshorne. The Volvo dealership is looking for a van franchise to add to its existing activities, and is already selling Isuzu light trucks from seven locations around the Midlands.
"The Volvo product is excellent, but no dealer can afford to live off a single make," he adds. "More profit centres are essential."
"We took on the Isuzu agency on 1January," Bachelor reports. "We aim to sell 150 this year, and 400 annually in three years' time."
Selling to the local small business that wants a 3.5-tonner is very different from selling to the haulier operating at 44 tonnes. "We're managing to get our message across through radio advertising though, and the three years we spent selling Mitsubishi Canters—now handled by DaimlerChrysler—have stood us in good stead," he explains.
Hartshorne has no plans to add another heavy truck franchise to its portfolio, however, and won't be handling Isuzus grossing above 7.5 tonnes. "Isuzu Truck is aware of our position, and understand It," he says.
An ability to sell lighter products should help Hartshorne, given the long lead times it is quoting on Volvo deliveries at present. "We're talking 20-weeks-plus, but most truck dealerships, no matter what the make, are in a similar position," says Bachelor.