All articles by Charles Wheeldon
Charles Wheeldon
July: people on the move
After a two-and-a-half year secondment to an operational role, Robert Gale has returned to a sales role as northern sales director for Santander Consumer Finance.After 23 years working in sales for Lombard, First National and then Santander, Gale was appointed head of GE Money Auto in Leeds when Santander Consumer Finance acquired it in January 2009.He was asked to run the integration of the GE book and business into Santander, a process which has now been completed.During this time, Robert also completed his Institute of Directors examinations.Gale said: “The opportunity to run the operation and the integration project has been tremendous and has given me a much wider perspective on the business.”I relish the chance to bring my new experiences and learning to the sales role.”
ACF in drive for refused finance leads
The guide is in an attempt to increase the number of used car retailers and finance intermediaries who refer business to the company when an application for finance has been declined by other lenders. ACF Car Finance business development manager Rhian Roberts said the companys growing number of referrers range from small independent dealers to major car retail groups.
Motor industry (June stats from the SMMT)
Registrations fell for 12th successive month, by 6.2%, but falling slower than the year-to-date fall (7.1%) The 5.2% drop in Q2 2011 registrations is the smallest drop in the past four quarters
Bridford: prestige car market back to form
The prestige car market improved in June after a subdued couple of months, according to specialist luxury car funder Bridford Financial Solutions. After arranging a record £4.4m in March, which helped the company notch up a record first quarter of £10.2m, April and May were slower, with sales down 50%.
Stead takes over sales at Close Motor Finance
Lex Autolease regional director Harvey Stead has joined Close Motor Finance as its new sales director Stead joins the Board of Directors and takes responsibility for all Closes sales and account manager functions, for existing and new dealer partners Closes managing director James Broadhead said: Im pleased to welcome Harvey he brings with him a wealth of experience in sales growth and the motor finance industry.
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Tough times continue for dealers as registrations fall in June
New car registrations fell by 6.2% in June, compared to June last year, to 183,125 units the 12th successive month that registrations have been lower than the corresponding month a year ago However, the drop is lower than that for registrations in the first half of 2011 compared to H1 2010, which at 1,029,638 is 7.1% down.
Car finance market share hits two-year high
A total of 56% of new car sales used motor finance in the year to May 2011 the highest market share since March 2009 the Finance & Leasing Association reports. In May, the new and used car finance markets for consumers both grew, with the number of new cars sold on finance up by 3% compared to May 2010, and the number of used cars sold on finance up by 6%.
Gale’s back in sales
After a two-and-a-half year secondment to an operational role, Robert Gale has returned to a sales role as northern sales director for Santander Consumer Finance. After 23 years working in sales for Lombard, First National and then Santander, Gale was appointed head of GE Money Auto in Leeds when Santander Consumer Finance acquired it in January 2009 He was asked to run the integration of the GE book and business into Santander, a process which has now been completed.
Cherry picking buyers force used car values down in June
Average wholesale used car values fell by 2.5% (£168) to £6,640 in June, the third consecutive monthly fall, reports Manheim Remarketing. The fleet sector fell by 2.5% (£155) to £6,100 and manufacturer stock values fell by 3% (£346) to £11,279
Bridford: prestige sales back to form
The prestige car market improved in June after a subdued couple of months, according to specialist luxury car funder, Bridford Financial Solutions. After arranging a record £4.4m in March, which helped the company notch up a record first quarter of £10.2 million, April and May were slower, with sales down 50 percent. Business in June, however, was buoyant, topping £3 million, including finance arranged for a £425,000 Ferrari F40, a £97,000 Porsche Cayenne Turbo, and for a number of the new Bentley Continental GTs, which cost around £140,000