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As the new Imperial Commercials site at Frome nears completion,
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regional director David Lewis explains to Kevin Swallow the potential of a tailor-made satellite dealership.
The trading estate that will house the new two-acre Imperial Commercials satellite dealership on the Frome, Somerset, A361 bypass is entering the final stages of construction before opening later this month.
Regional director David Lewis started his career in truck sales, then spent 11 years in the car market before rejoining the CV trade six years ago. He has been in painstaking negotiations with land owner Prospect Land — first representing Lex Commercials and then Imperial Commercials,which bought Lex on 11 April 2006.
"We had to pitch [the project] again to Imperial, which was quite refreshing, as it is entrepreneurial. It is a multi-trade group at the core. With RAC [the parent company of Lex Commercials], it [the truck trade] wasn't its core business," he says.
Representing Lex, Lewis had established a lease deal for the land but new owner South African-based Imperial Holdings preferred to own the freehold, forcing him back to the negotiating table until the owner agreed.
Now he intends to make good the potential that uniting and expanding the Frome and Westbury, Wilts workshops will bring, and it's not before time. Both workshops were past their sell-by date.-More importantly, it allows us to shorten lead times:The building will be far more efficient and it'll help with retaining staff," he says.
Attracting and retaining technicians is difficult — but when RAC invested £2.2m in a new dealership at Swindon.it became easier. Lewis intends to double Frome's current count to 14 in the next 12 months.
"The real emphasis of this [expansion] is customer-driven," Lewis explains. "It's a steady market but customers are very demanding.
"People have been saying 'get your premises sorted and we'll buy more Daf products'. No one has complained about the work; they are a very good bunch.
-But by association people don't want to spend £80,000 on a truck and then put it into premises where you wouldn't put a secondhand car."
In-house services
[hat Frome and Westbury can generate Dm a year from workshops alone is testament to Imperial Holdings' professionalism and Lewis is confident the £1.7m investment can increase turnover threefold. Key will be bringing services in-house.
-The problem with subcontracting [out work] is that you clock up mileage on customers' vehicles and use their fuel; it's more downtime for the customer," he explains, listing the new services, These include:a new roller brake tester, mirroring the Vosa one used at Caine, Wilts, reducing the MoT failure rate; a VDO Siemens digital and analogue tachograph franchise; 24 full-length parking areas:a 20m commercial wash bay, an automated MoT test lane for Class 4,5 and 7 vehicles; and seven 20m work bays.
Andy Allen is the new aftersales customer service executive and aftersales will have an extended parts stock holding. Bristol remains the hub for Daf and LDV, but Frome will become the official outlet for Fiat vans.
"Van franchises in the area are attached to car franchises and it isn't their core focus," he says. "Most of the trades around here go to Bristol or Exeter to buy their vans.
"Already, by word of mouth, we've had enquiries about purchasing vans and van servicing. We'll have modest targets and have yet to agree what we should sell with Fiat but it'll be close to the national market share, which is 5% or so by the end of year two." Van users are keen to use the extended opening times offered for truck operators and Lewis has employed a qualified light CV auto-electrician and MoT tester. He aims to improve Daf penetration into the local truck market,which is below the national average, now that it has a facility to offer the right support.
Diverse market
James Grant will be based at Frome to sell new and used trucks into a mixed group of operators including own account, small fleets and, increasingly, national players such as Comet, which has DHL behind it.
Plus there is a strong tipper market, with Tarmac and Hanson prevalent in the area.
"1 think it will be a good area for used trucks,Lewis says. We get a lot of enquiries into the Bristol dealership [for] Daf tractors, tippers and 7.5-tonne rigids from this area."
With the Frome dealership nearing completion, Lewis is already looking ahead. "Avonmouth is next on the list for investment—hopefully in 18 months—and it's addressing the same issues as Frome. Plus," he concludes. 'we are looking at other opportunities." •