Dealer listings on MG site

I hope somebody can please reasure me that Summit Garage are still a francised MG dealer and still trading - they have completly dissapeared from the dealer listing on MG's website. It was a shock to see that Luffied garage now only do service only but the loss of Summit will be a bigger blow..especially as there now appear to be only 32 sales outlets listed on the website.

Strange

http://www.summit.mg.co.uk/


I see Staddons have sold their last MG6 Magnette, so now service only, but at least they are still in the dealer list.

Yes, Staddons and Lynx Garage in Yeovil both now listed as service only, so that leaves Specialst Vehicles in Plymouth as the only MG sales outlet west of Reading (Bulldog MG) and south of Gloucestershire (AE Wilcox).

When the 3 finally comes out, I will have to see if the MG to You service will come down to Dorset!

Goodness me. To lose one dealer looks like misfortune, but...

It will be quite a change if Luffield relinquish the MG dealership after keeping the flame alive for so long. Their dealer principal, David Wood, has an SV!

The website says "Luffield Cars are the Official Citroen Dealer in Leicestershire, Loughborough and Charnwood, and are MG dealers for East Midlands!" but there are no MG6s advertised when they used to have three or four going at once.

Derby used to have a branch of Luffield and now there is Beechwood.

Well, well.

Summit also sell Peroduas but their website shows MGs first:

patpending wrote:...The website says "Luffield Cars are the Official Citroen Dealer...

Do you think that MG has decided that the dealers should be single brand only once they go for the big relaunch?

If that's the case then there may be a few more to go...

Windy wrote:

patpending wrote:...The website says "Luffield Cars are the Official Citroen Dealer...

Do you think that MG has decided that the dealers should be single brand only once they go for the big relaunch?

If that's the case then there may be a few more to go...

How many existing dealers are single brand? Pinkstones...and...?


If you think of the classifieds in MGE, the most consistent advertisers have been Luffield and Summit.

Unless there is something to sell a few more dealers will run for the hills or Dacias!

richardk wrote:Unless there is something to sell a few more dealers will run for the hills or Dacias!

It does look like Luffield have baled, only Citroën new cars on their website but the site still shows the showrooms with the branding.

http://www.luffield.com/aboutus.htm

Luffield Cars are a Private Family business
established November 2000 and are the CITROEN Main Dealers for the
Loughborough and Charnwood area and MG UK Authorised Repairers for the East
Midlands Area.

They are back on the MG dealer list(!)

However, I just rang them and Luffield confirm they are no longer an MG dealer.

I can't see how that can be anything other than bad news. Directing customers to "Grantham... or, er, Derby..." Grantham is miles away!

The loss of Luffield is very bad news as is the confirmation (now back on MG website) that Summit Garage are also now only Authorised Repairers, as are Jaybee in Oxfordshire apparently. So thats three of the best known and established MG dealers dropping out of MG sales so far this year.

Of course, each one could have a logical and local reason for their moves, perhaps Jaybee because they are a Renault dealer and have decided to allocate their MG space to the Dacia range in future, Luffied because they cant afford to continue allocating space to MG when they could move more Citroen's into the showroom and Summit, well perhaps the proximity of the MG salse centre is too much for their small business and they are better off just offering service for the local MG's sold at Longbridge.

Mind you, this is all supposition and could be completly wrong. In which case I have no idea WHAT is going on..

Dorset Rocket wrote:Of course, each one could have a logical and local reason for their moves...

Of course, it could be MG Motor who has taken the decision. We know that more dealers are due to be announced - this means it's lots more.

You may be right. Although long term MG dealers, they may not have been performing well on the sales front and MG need the commitment and drive of the Pinkstones of this world if sales are to improve.

I also remain encouraged by the comment of a chap at Lynx in Yeovil a few months ago that although they had recently moved to repairs only after only 8 months as a new dealer, they still planned to return to sales when the 3 arrived. So the ever increasing list of authorised repairers may, in some cases at least, still represent a pool of potential new sales outlets once the UK range expands.

Dorset Rocket wrote:I also remain encouraged by the comment of a chap at Lynx in Yeovil a few months ago that although they had recently moved to repairs only after only 8 months as a new dealer, they still planned to return to sales when the 3 arrived. So the ever increasing list of authorised repairers may, in some cases at least, still represent a pool of potential new sales outlets once the UK range expands.

wonder how that will work?

I don't see why you would choose to temporarily stop being a dealer unless you were being charged for the privilage and I can't understand why MG would be charging for dealer status when they need more dealers and it is their own fault that there are too few models for the dealers to make a decent profit

Windy wrote:I don't see why you would choose to temporarily stop being a dealer unless you were being charged for the privilage and I can't understand why MG would be charging for dealer status when they need more dealers and it is their own fault that there are too few models for the dealers to make a decent profit

purely from a punter viewpoint, if you hear the local Škoda dealer has stopped selling new cars, you won't think about going there when the Rapid is introduced.

It can't be free for a dealer to sell new cars - signage, training - and there's the finance to consider, too. However, the decision in a multi-franchise place to stick with a one-to-two-car brand or convert to selling only a full range of 10+ models from an established brand could be easy...

As far as I am aware most dealers sign contracts for at least 3 years and as with most contracts there are commitments on both sides. The dealer will invest in signage, staff training and providing display space and so on, while the manufacturer provides, amongst other things, a saleable product range with regular supplies and factory back up.

From the example I quoteed in Yeovil I got the impression that the contract was still in place but a mutual agreement had been reached such that the dealer had withdrawn from 'sales' until the MG3 was available, thus leaving them able to use the showroom for the other (currently more saleable) brands they still represented and leaving MG with a dealer still providing service facilities and a commitment to do sales in the future. We must remember this is all in the context of MG registering only a handful of cars a month (excluding the Avis contract) and needing to keep as much goodwill as they can with the trade who still remain key to their future success..

Dorset Rocket wrote:From the example I quoteed in Yeovil I got the impression that the contract was still in place but a mutual agreement had been reached such that the dealer had withdrawn from 'sales' until the MG3 was available, thus leaving them able to use the showroom for the other (currently more saleable) brands they still represented and leaving MG with a dealer still providing service facilities and a commitment to do sales in the future.

If that's true, the dealer is let off his responsibilities for a few months but is back there again when the MG3 is launched.

MG Motor are hardly operating from a position of strength...

I wonder if any other dealers have had deals like that. I wonder what the other brands' dealer support teams think?

I think MG are being as flexible as they can with their dealers to keep them on board where they can until things improve in terms of range and sales potential. From my records, MG had 42 dealers doing sales this time last year and that number has now reduced to 32 this month, despite the 8 new dealers joining in 2012.

Dorset Rocket wrote:I think MG are being as flexible as they can with their dealers to keep them on board where they can until things improve in terms of range and sales potential. From my records, MG had 42 dealers doing sales this time last year and that number has now reduced to 32 this month, despite the 8 new dealers joining in 2012.

there again, it's already mid-March and the new MG3 will be at dealers in a matter of weeks - it's only some 13 weeks to mid-June. MG need dealers in 13 weeks!

Still no sign of any new dealers for 2013 and we are nearly at the end of March.

It also looks like West Riding MG in Bradford may have given up now as they are no longer on the MG website..

I think West riding garage have ceased trading, or taken over

Yes, I think West Riding were taken over by RRG Group a few weeks ago and it looks like there is no place for MG with RRG, sadly. So another gap in the network that MG have to fill.

Dorset Rocket wrote:Yes, I think West Riding were taken over by RRG Group a few weeks ago and it looks like there is no place for MG with RRG, sadly. So another gap in the network that MG have to fill.

I don't know where I will go to test drive an MG3 when launched. I had expected to go to Luffield or maybe Summit... the nearest place I have actually been is SMC Datchet... we must be expecting 20-30 new dealers for the MG3, must we?

SMC Datchet are still listed for sales but SMC Kent have now disappeared and Holden in Norwich seem to have given up on sales too, so now only 29 sales dealers to choose from. Clearly they are not that keen on waiting for the MG3. So far this year MG have not had one new dealer joining the fold..

Dorset Rocket wrote:SMC Datchet are still listed for sales but SMC Kent have now disappeared and Holden in Norwich seem to have given up on sales too, so now only 29 sales dealers to choose from. Clearly they are not that keen on waiting for the MG3. So far this year MG have not had one new dealer joining the fold..

dear oh dear.

Apple seem committed to MG - like Pinkstones MG site, they're a one brand operation - but by their own admission they are small and family run(like Summit) (Pinkstones have other sites)

http://www.appledevelopment.co.uk/

Thank you for visiting our website and welcome to Apple MG, Kent’s top selling and only dedicated MG Dealer. We are a small family run dealer, priding itself on outstanding customer care in both our Sales showroom in Gravesend and our Service department in Meopham.

I wouldn't even know about the Suzuki Swift or the Chevrolet Aveo without the internet - where are the dealers coming from?

patpending wrote:I wouldn't even know about the Suzuki Swift or the Chevrolet Aveo without the internet - where are the dealers coming from?

The Swift has been in the UK for many years, I imagine they have plenty of dealers although they may not be very prominent ones. Do Chevy use GM dealers?


MG are going to have to do something soon or the MG3 can't be sold!

Chevrolet have dedicated Chevrolet dealers in the UK which is a different thing from Vauxhall dealers.

http://www.chevrolet.co.uk/contact/find-a-dealer.html

I saw preetoo has bought a Chevrolet Aveo - from Linwood!

http://www.chevroletpaisley.co.uk/

I didn't know this, but I see there are two Chevrolet dealers not too far away from me in neighbouring towns!

I know that there is probably a Suzuki/Subaru dealer here in the countryside to the south, but if I search for "Kingston" the nearest dealer is in Hull! (as in "Kingston-upon" )

http://www.suzuki.co.uk/cars/about/contact-us/find-a-dealer/findadealer

Yes, there is a small dealer in a large village to the south and others dotted round Middlesex and Croydon. It's many more than MG but not much use.

It isn't the Subaru dealer.

A challenge for MG!

Thinking about Chevrolet and Vauxhall dealers, I am sure I recall some talk of GM assisting MG with the development of their dealer network a year or so ago. Clearly that has not borne fruit yet, but does anyone know if the arrangement still exists?