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It’s fair to say the past 12 months have been challenging for the car retail sector.
The first lockdown in March 2020 meant retailers were not able to trade for a full month during what is usually the busiest time of year and, while the end is potentially in sight, showrooms won’t be open for the spring plate-change this year either.
Whenever AM speaks with carmakers, there is, inevitably, always the mention of how they want to work in partnership with their retailers and COVID-19 has been the ultimate stress test.
Mike Jones, ASE chairman, has been speaking with many retailer clients during this most recent lockdown and he has seen original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) react in different ways, particularly as it became evident that showrooms were not going to be able to open until April, missing the key March registration month.