Van dealers happy with 2011 prospects
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VAN DEALERS are optimistic about prospects for the new and used van market this year. Jeremy Trett, principal dealer and co-director at Norwich-based Citroën dealership Duff Morgan, says: “I think the irst quarter will be challenging but I’m conident about the rest of the year. I’d be more concerned if we supplied 50 vans a year to local councils, given the cuts in public spending, but we don’t have that portfolio.” While Duff Morgan does some publicsector business, it tends to target smallto medium-sized private-sector operators. It sells about 180 to 190 light commercials a year. “Businesses will always need vans, whatever happens,” Trett says.
His positive stance is echoed on a national level, with Renault and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders predicting a 250,000-unit van market for 2011.
Other manufacturers, such as Fiat and Citroën, are more cautious, with some predicting zero growth. “I don’t think there’s any chance of the total reaching 250,000,” says Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles director Simon Elliott. ■