Aston Barclay signals its intent

Aston Barclay has unveiled its newly created twin-laned auction rooms at Chelmsford following a £1.2 million investment.

Separated by sound-proofed glazing that is designed to allow car buyers to effectively follow two lanes of cars simultaneously, at its peak 100 cars can roll through each lane every hour, ensuring a shorter sale time.

The scheme is the first phase in a series of investments that aims to ensure it provides an industry-leading service.

“There is no point having the best vendors in the world offering lots of cars if nobody is going to buy them, so the whole buyer experience is something we’ve invested in rather heavily,” said managing director Tim Hudson.

But, he adds that it is their overall approach that’s beginning to win the company new business, which it may not have been considered for before.

Fresh from signing an exclusive contract to sell cars for the WR Davies Group, Aston Barclay has also just signed a two-year agreement to increase the number of cars it will sell on behalf of Masterlease UK and the Leasedrive Velo Group to more than 3,000 annually.

Hudson said: “If you look at the ‘pipeline’ business we’ve got, we’re consistently getting into the last three in the tendering process. We’re batting with the big boys.”
Further big wins are on the cards, according to Hudson, as the company also begins to roll out its latest IT development.

Dashboard is a bespoke web-based platform giving vendors complete visibility on the vehicles being handled by Aston Barclay.

At the touch of a button, they can see what vehicles are being offered, how many have sold, conversion rates, the number of days a vehicle’s taken to sell against an average figure and what reserves they have set, as well as a wealth of other information.

“It tells you everything you need to know about your fleet,” said Hudson. “It gives our customers the ability to identify the decisions they need to make as business, an increased visibility which can prove crucial.

“The rationale for vendors is highest price, as quick as you can at the lowest cost of sale. They’re the key dynamics and this system keeps them in control.”

Hudson joined the business eight months ago from LeasePlan where he was managing director of LeasePlan International. At Aston Barclay his brief is strengthening its position as the leading independent remarketing company in the UK.

But with only three sites - Chelmsford in Essex, Westbury in Wiltshire and Prees Heath in Shropshire – surprisingly, further acquisitions are not on his agenda.

“Although we have reasonable coverage, one of the big debates when I joined was whether we should take on any new sites,” explained Hudson.

“I’ve been looking at the geographical footprint and whether strategically it is something I need to get involved in, but we quickly came to the conclusion that there are much bigger opportunities other than channels to market.”

BCA and Manheim have 40 sites between them and industry experts estimate that they account for about 80% of the market, while SMA Vehicle Remarketing opened its sixth site last week.

Bob Anderson, group managing director, SMA Vehicle Remarketing, said: “In a mature market such as vehicle remarketing it is possible to achieve growth the key is about being better.

“At SMA, we are showing real growth through a combination of innovation and service. We are proud of our capacity to act nimbly to help our customers, creating and delivering new services that are speeding up the remarketing process, and increasing our distribution across the UK.”

However, Hudson is adamant that Aston Barclay does not need to open more sites to make it a successful operator.

“What we need is innovation, good ideas, good access to different markets and different insights,” he said.

Investment in IT and infrastructure, along with key appointments and the development of existing personnel aim to set Aston Barclay apart from the rest.

But in a highly competitive market, which includes Wilsons and SMA Vehicle Remarketing alongside industry leaders BCA and Manheim, Hudson will have his work cut out.

However, even Tesco’s foray into the market doesn’t concern the Aston Barclay chief. “We have got a great infrastructure, we’ve got great relationships and we know this business very well so we’ve got nothing to be scared of,” he said.