By Mike Edwards, Group Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Having spent most of my working life ‘retailer-side’ of the automotive industry, I became well-versed with suppliers letting me know that we might be ‘missing out.’ The sources of the stress that such a line addressed were everything from; technology to aftersales revenues, finance and indeed added-value […]
By Mike Edwards, Group Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Inflation measured by the Consumer Prices Index is expected to keep rising and is now forecast to exceed 10% by the Autumn. You have to go back to 1981 to see higher levels. For this reason, it is fair to reflect we are facing the worst cost […]
A “people business” By Mike Edwards, Group Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Reviewing Murray Group’s success and growth, I was struck by the Group’s Managing Director Kevin Murray’s references to the business’ culture of positivity, agility and autonomy. These principles and the overarching focus on meeting the needs of its customers combine to highlight Murray Group’s focus on […]
Total quality management. By Mike Edwards, Group Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Reading this latest Dealer Insight, one thing jumped out at me, the focus on Total Quality Management (TQM). I was delighted to see it and, in particular, the reference to quality in terms of the customer experience. TQM for Inchcape Mini Chelmsford is about […]
On 3 December 2021, the FCA published a press release titled…
Experience over price. By Mike Edwards, Group Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Customer-centricity is something of an obsession for me. Having spent most of my career leading F&I teams in major retail operations, getting this right was a critical priority. For this reason, this outstanding illustration of how to get things right by Macklin Motors Edinburgh […]
On May 12th, many of the leading players from across the UK motor retail industry will meet up for the AM Awards at the Park Plaza London Bridge Hotel. Once again, AutoProtect will be there, showing our support for the industry and meeting friends old and new. Importantly, we will be at the AM Awards as the […]
Evolving and adapting By Mike Edwards, Group, Chief Sales and Marketing Officer Having joined AutoProtect Group recently from a senior role in one of the UK’s largest motor retail groups, I’m aware of just how valuable insights and best practices from my fellow retailers have been. In our seventh year as the sponsor of Motor Trader’s Dealer Insight feature, I continue […]
“Unforgettable experiences” By Martin Hill, Group Director Of Strategic Partnerships Winning the Used Car Dealer Group of the Year award at this year’s Motor Trader Awards very evidently demonstrates you are doing something right. Standing out to a team of very experienced industry judges is never easy; this case study provides some clear insights into HPL’s success. Evolution, agility and customer-centricity are […]
AutoProtect Group is delighted to announce that Mike Edwards has joined the business as Chief Sales and Marketing Officer. Mike joins with extensive automotive experience from his role at Pendragon PLC where he was Head of Finance & Insurance, and his previous 14-year tenure at Mercedes Benz Retail Group, most latterly as Group Finance & […]
Learning from the lockdown By Martin Hill, Group, Director Of Strategic Partnerships With attention now moving towards 2022, TrustFord’s CEO Stuart Foulds makes some astute observations about an environment where agility and lessons learned since lockdown one will have crucial roles to play. It is clear that new car supply issues, used car stock shortages, […]
Pandemic Lessons Learned By Martin Hill, Group, Director Of Strategic Partnerships Almost 19 months have passed since the initial UK lockdown for COVID-19. The impact was commonly referred to as ‘unprecedented’, and for the motor industry and support services, such as those provided by the AutoProtect Group, this was unarguably true. Reflecting upon how the […]