Lancaster Insurance sets new MG parade world record
Lancaster Insurance has become an official Guinness World Records title holder for the largest parade of MGs. The parade took place on Saturday, 11 April at Rockingham Circuit in Corby, Northamptonshire, where 144 MG owners and lovers united to take part in a world first.
Continue ReadingDoes WheelRight offer national forecourt roll-out potential?
Following on from the news that WheelRight is piloting a few pressure check system at Keele services on the M6, Tyres & Accessories considers what the potential is for a networked tyre monitoring system. As unusual as an external tyre pressure monitoring system is, the obvious question with WheelRight is not “how does it work?”, but rather “why are they doing this?” Of course, the Keele pressure bay trial offers a good bit of safety awareness, but there is a business case too. From T&A’s point of view the most interesting answer to our own question is two-fold -retail networks and big data.
Continue ReadingEuropean aftermarket still growing despite a small drop in 2014
The total car after sales market in Europe across all purchased components – what is otherwise known as the aftermarket - generated sales of about 119 billion euros in 2013 (based on retail prices excluding VAT and refer to materials only and not salary). wolk after sales expert’s findings are published in the latest edition of its European aftermarket structure analysis for 34 European countries. It is the third time Wolk has produced this. Previous editions came out in 2009 and 2012. The surveyed components included were wear parts, body parts, engines, transmissions, electrical parts, automotive glass, chemicals, oil, tyres and paint.
Continue ReadingUK commercial vehicle registrations reach a new high
Protagonists at this week’s Commercial Vehicle Show have cause to celebrate, as new figures from the SMMT show van and truck registrations have reached a record high. A total of 108,456 vans and trucks were registered in the UK between the start of January and end of March 2015, making it the best quarter on record. This result is particularly remarkable when bearing in mind that only 221,132 commercial vehicles were registered in the whole of 2009. Registrations reached 384,120 units last year – just below the 388,488 registrations recorded in pre-recession 2007 – and demand is expected to remain strong in the months ahead.
Continue ReadingKwik Fit partners Central Tyre in van-orientated CV Show stand
Kwik Fit reports that it is seeking to win new light commercial vehicle fleet business opportunities at the 2015 Commercial Vehicle Show. The UK’s largest automotive repair company will be sharing its show stand with sister company Central Tyre, which is also owned by the Itochu Corporation-owned and has been supplying the commercial and agriculture industries for more than 50 years. Indeed, Central Tyre says it is the UK’s “number one independent commercial service provider”.
Continue ReadingAndrew Page hails best ever quarter
Andrew Page Group has reported a record quarter in 1Q 2015. Following a record-breaking year in 2014, Andrew Page says the firm is continuing to grow its business, with March being the company’s best ever trading month in its 98-year history. Jim Sumner, chairman commented: The group’s sales continue to grow at a phenomenal rate, exceeding all expectations. The team should be very proud about what has been achieved and excited about the rest of the year and beyond.
Continue ReadingKwik Fit benefiting from increased mechanical work
Kwik Fit reports that it is seeing fleet demand for its range of mechanical services increasing and is forecasting further growth in 2015. According to the company, the catalyst for growth was the opening of 20 Kwik Fit Plus centres. Indeed, Kwik Fit Plus centres are said to form a key part of parent company Itochu Corporations ongoing network-wide multi-million pound refurbishment and modernisation programme.
Continue ReadingIAAF successfully challenges BMW under Block Exemption
The Independent Automotive Aftermarket Federation (IAAF) has successfully challenged BMW after the car-making giant refused to honour the warranty on a vehicle that was serviced and repaired outside of the BMW main dealer network. The BMW 318i, which was less than three years old, was presented to a BMW dealership in Hampshire after it broke down due to a problem caused by the oil filter overheating the engine. After inspecting the damage, BMW said it would not repair the vehicle because the oil filter was a non-manufacturer part and it didn’t have any record of the vehicle ever being serviced within the manufacturer network.
Continue Reading“86 per cent of fleets have had an accident in past year” – IAM report
The Institute of Advanced Motorists Drive & Survive division has been investigating the true extent of company car accidents – and found a shocking 86 per cent of fleets have experienced an accident in the past 12 months, while 100 per cent of fleets have had an accident at some time where one of their drivers was at fault. The findings come in IAM Drive & Survives first report of the year, titled An analysis of bent metal amongst company fleets.
Continue ReadingTrax wins 1 million euro Renault aftersales contract in France
British wheel balancing weight manufacturer Trax has won a contract to supply balance weights to Motrio in France. According to Trax, the Motrio business is worth some 1 million euros over the next three years and will further strengthen the supply of Trax weights into France and the European market.
Continue ReadingUK car registrations hit ‘21st century high’ in March
March 2015 was the best month for car registrations in Britain since twice-yearly number plate changes were introduced in 1999, reports the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders. A total of 492,774 cars were registered last month, 6.0 per cent more than a year earlier. The SMMT says “new products and attractive finance packages, underpinned by low interest rates” helped deliver this record result. Growth was led by the fleet sector, which experienced year-on-year growth of 11.6 per cent. A total of 734,588 new cars were registered in the UK during the first three months of 2015, 6.8 per cent more than in the first quarter of last year.
Continue ReadingSentencing a ‘clear message to tyre retailers’, says TyreSafe
The suspended sentence and hefty bill handed to a Lincolnshire tyre dealer should serve as a warning to the rest of the industry, opines TyreSafe. Commenting on the sentencing passed on Luke McKenzie two days ago, organisation chairman Stuart Jackson said the sentence “represents a clear message to tyre retailers across the UK.” Jackson added that TyreSafe is “pleased to see that motorists are being protected from illegal and sub-standard products that will endanger lives.”
Continue ReadingSuspended sentence, fine for unsafe tyre seller
A Lincolnshire-based part-worn tyre retailer convicted of supplying unsafe tyres has been given a nine-month suspended sentence and has been ordered to pay prosecution costs totalling more than £26,000. Luke McKenzie, who sold part-worn tyres from Moss Tyres in Grantham, was found guilty in February of 16 charges related to the possession of unsafe products for sale. In addition to the suspended sentence, McKenzie is also required to complete 150 hours of unpaid work.
Continue ReadingMcConechy’s Tyres acquires new van fleet
Mercedes-Benz Commercial Vehicles has supplied a new fleet of 34 Sprinter vans to Scotland’s largest independent garage chain, Ayr-based McConechy’s Tyre Service Ltd. The vans are now working across McConechy’s network of 50 branches throughout Scotland and the North of England.
Continue ReadingFirestone to be present at UK, European music festivals
The marketing department at Bridgestone Europe is putting in overtime to assert the Firestone brand’s cool credentials. The company says Firestone plans to reassert its presence on the European market as a “dynamic, energetic and above all cool brand for the young and young at heart,” and these efforts include the brand’s sponsorship of music festivals in Spain, Germany, France, Poland, Italy and the UK The ‘Firestone Music Tour’ will be present at major festivals in these six countries during the summer.
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