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A Rygor-ous approach to your business
Page 70
Page 71
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Best known by some for its logistics business, Rygor Commercials has just taken over a new site near Heathrow.
The area round Heathrow airport bristles with firms offering almost any service, and most of them use vans.
That's why Rygor has taken on its new Heathrow site. General manager Ged Stringer says: "There are a lot of vans about and it's a big market, And our pre-owned vans are a better option where operators can't afford a new one." Many of the depot's van customers are sole traders, many of whom live within 10 miles of the dealership:"There's a very high density of businesses round us, but not every one needs a new van!"
Most of the firm's sales are expected to be in ones or twos, rather than catering for the large fleets.That means there's a healthy level of walk-in enquiries, particularly as there are also some independent dealers fairly close by and people may visit several dealers before selecting a vehicle.
Stringer hopes that a website will also extend the depot's current customer base: "The site could be a big advantage for us. If people see what they like on the interne they may come and see us from further away. I think there's a lot of potential to drive van sales through the Internet."
Internet offerings
Being able to offer stock on the internet should certainly attract buyers, as it can be tricky to locate a used Mercedes van. However. Stringer does not expect any supply problems: "Mercedes realised that it had to have an active resale operation to help promote new sales and now provides a reasonable number of vehicles for us to sell."
When customers do come in they are often surprised by the price they're quoted for a used van. "It's a shock for some people to find we are not that far adrift from our competition [in terms of price]," says Stringer."We do also offer R&M packages on used vans, and being able to predict whole-life costs, especially in the London area, removes the risk for some of our customers." Vans are likely to take the lion's share of trade at Heathrow because of space constraints, and the fact that there isn't quite such a strong market for used trucks as there is for vans. However, Stringer says used trucks from other Rygor dealerships will be offered to Heathrow customers in the same way that they are offered to visitors to its other sites. He believes the internet site will help drive sales.
Stringer aims to boost new and used sales by providing the right service. Current service opening hours are 6am-lOpm Monday-Friday and 7am-3prn Saturday, but he hopes to offer 24/7 service from Monday to Friday, while retaining the current Saturday hours.
"The airport runs 24 hours, and so do operators," he concludes. "so we have to open 24 hours a day too. Improving the level of service should help us gain more sales." •