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Tesco will probably not be selling used cars this time next year

I’ve thought long and hard about this and I have come to the conclusion that after 20 years in the business and having tried as many different ways to drive customer footfall and shift more metal than you can shake a stick at, here goes; Tesco will probably not be selling used cars this time next year.

A bold statement? Yes. Likely to happen? In my opinion, yes.

I don’t want to come across as some sort of car trade Luddite who believes traditional sales channels are the only way to go. Indeed I believe that the internet and how it’s used in the car business has greatly benefited both dealer and car buyer alike. I believe it has taken down many of the barriers that existed in the past and created a more transparent environment in which to conduct business and has empowered the customer like never before to educate themselves, both about the cars themselves and the car dealers who sell them. In fact one of the main reasons that MTI was born was out of the necessity to marry beautiful cars and advanced technology with happy engaged customers who clearly deserve great service and fair prices whilst allowing the dealers to maintain profitable businesses.

The problem I have with the Tesco model is that they have no real love or feel for selling cars. Selling cars is a unique business and so unlike any other form of retailing. The fact is that Tesco are trying to muscle in not to really sell cars in a more radical way which will improve the experience of the buyer and sell them cheaper cars but really to sell their financial products and use the brand loyalty created in their stores to increase their market share. But by using the emotiveness of a big ticket sale like a car they are forgetting that in their quest to sell financial products to car buyers the most important thing to those customers is in fact the car closely followed by the quality of the service.

As car dealers, whatever sales channel we use to retail cars, we all know we are competing on a fairly even platform in acquiring used stock and apart from the buying power of the larger retail groups and the supermarkets which can gain a small advantage we all know that it is in the interests of the industry that residual values are stable to protect customers investments. This is essential to continue the supply chain when all vendors are looking to maximise their investments when remarketing their cars on the wholesale market.

Other factors include new car sales numbers decreasing (see graphic below). In 2007 2,404,007 new cars were registered but in 2008 this declined by 11.3% to 2,131,795 and in 2009 by a further 6.4% to 1,994,999 units. Although figures picked up by 1.8% to 2,030,846 units in 2010 you can see why there is a problem sourcing decent 3 year old used car stock.


This obvious knock-on effect will also mean a lack of quality retailable cars to offer in the network far into the future. We have widely reported on the fact that dealers have had to adjust their buying criteria to continue attracting customers and even prestige suppliers who perhaps keep to 2 year old cars with 30k maximum mileage are expanding their criteria to include older higher mileage cars to help fill the void.

Ask any car dealer or trader and he will tell you that even in the darkest of trading conditions and when values are in freefall it is still very difficult to locate the “sure things” with the great spec, low mileage, desirable models and even when successful we still have to pay a premium to own them.

Why do Tesco think that they will be able to succeed in doing this when the rest of us are and have been doing this with mixed success for many years? Where will they be getting this stock cheaper and of better quality than the rest of us? How will they cope with the vital aftersales and customer care side of the transaction? Will customers be happy to be referred to a facility which may not be convenient for them to have their problems solved? And why would car makers and other vendors risk their relationship with the dealer network just for some short term gain derived from selling large volumes to Tesco for less than they can get from the rest of us?

There are of course those that believe with the deep pockets that Tesco has much like a Russian oligarch running a football club, they can just keep chucking money at it and eventually it will be a success. However there are companies which exist purely to retail new and used cars and repair them who find profitability increasingly hard to come by. On the other hand Tesco could hardly call investing a stake in a re-branded platform a serious foray into the market and is something that smacks more of a toe dipping exercise.

The Headline will read “Tesco withdraw gracefully from the used car market” and hopefully without burning through the £20m that Autoquake managed to.

Jun 27, 2011In51der
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    Comments: 6
    1. Rob Stokes
      11 years ago

      You wish !
      Truth of it is that cars are a commodity like anything else and buyers will go to whoever is cheapest generally consider why do Dealerships all moan about the car supermarkets ? they sell infinitely more cars than the glass gin palaces and dont have to fund the upkeep of same with £1500.00 margin across even the most mundane bit of stock (obviously triple that figure in prestige). The days of dealerships are numbered, why do you think you see so many pitches empty on weekends with salesman stood around chatting and drinking coffee, its an overpriced way of selling cars which is destined for the history books and buyers know that, sure, the internet has helped them choose more wisely and shop without leaving home (this will never replace the touching and feeling prior to purchase though other than with a few internetaholics). You carry on tying balloons onto car aerials and sticking “this weekend only great sale” stickers on windscreens (every weekend !!) but keep an eye on the jobs market, dealerships will be closing faster than pubs in the not too distant future

    2. Mark R
      11 years ago

      £1,500 profit across mundane run of the mill stock and three times that £4,500 on prestige ????????? just which planet are you on Rob?

      As for buyers going for the cheapest, you miss the point completely, anyone can buy the cheap “run of the mill” cars they are everywhere, but get me a top of the Range BMW, Range Rover, Audi, or Titanium X Ford Mondeo Estate for that matter in the best colour and spec’s, You, me, or Tesco will never be able to do that because those cars are simply in such short supply they never can, or will be cheap, no mater how deep your pockets, go look on Tesco’s site for those type of cars, not there are they? looks like consumers will have to go to a dealership after all, Tesco may have the brand, but we have the knowledge ! ……………

    3. cameronrb
      11 years ago

      I couldn’t agree more with this article, we’ve seen this so many times before, large groups trying to takeover what is a highly complex marketplace, which is full of completely uncontrollable variables. I’m really surprised that Tesco have risked their name on this one. I’m sure that very soon we will hear an announcment that Tesco’s have decided to pass on their interest to another company due to market pressure or something similar.
      We’ve heard very similar big claims from so many others, the likes of the now defunct Autoquake for example about how they managed to ‘shake up’ the whole motor trade, when really its the same thing in a different coloured box. Selling used cars is a hard and dirty business, every used car is unique, even if its the same year make model and mileage, each car has had led a different life. Couple this with the entirely emotional process that the majority of buyers go through its obvious that the only people who have a chance of high volume success in the motortrade are those that live and breath the market.
      There is no room for inexperienced executives looking from the outside and assuming that this business is easy, it is not and guess what? it doesn’t pay much either!! Despite what everyone thinks. Tesco’s will learn only through experience that there simply is not enough money left over after all late costs, depreciation damage, warranty claims, wild shifts in values along with countless other costs have been paid for.
      We could of told the big cheeses at Tesco this ages ago in one short meeting. Would the have listened? Like all people who find the idea of selling car appealing, probably not.

    4. Annony Mouse
      10 years ago

      Looks like you were right… http://www.cardealermagazine.co.uk/publish/tesco-cars-closes-just-12-months-after-opening/63398

      • cameronrb
        10 years ago

        To think what we could have saved them.

    5. Mark R
      10 years ago

      Oh no what? I don’t believe it? Tesco couldn’t make it work? I never would have Guessed that !!!! …………………………………..

    In51der

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