Auto Retail Live

March’s plate change is upon us once again and new car supply is being to look decidedly like the past four years never happened with significant new car offers and a cautious consumer. In this Business Briefing our panel of retailer experts will discuss the state of the current market, what can be done to bring in more customers for both new and used cars and how OEM offers and targets are impacting the bottom line for retailers. Discussing all these topics in our next Auto Retail Live Business Briefing, will be Swansway’s Peter Smyth, Ron Brooks’ Tom Slack and Auto Trader’s Karolina Edwards-Smajda. Led by Auto Retail Live chair Al Clarke, the panel will discuss what’s going on now and what’s expected to happen to UK auto retail in the next few months. Auto Retail Live, on Thursday 14 March, will examine the data, discuss hands-on experience and offer advice about how to get the most out of the next quarter. Our expert panel will also be available live to answer your questions to help you run a more successful business. Key topics for discussion include: Where are we now on new car sales? (market update) Are the OEM offers enough to drive the market? (consumer behaviour) Will March be a profit success story? Will new car volume be enough to power the used market? (Part-ex tips) Outlook for the next few months on new and used

Disruptions to the used car market over the past few years have changed the automotive landscape permanently. Not only were fewer new cars sold during the pandemic, but the addition of electric vehicles and a shift to agency agreements by OEMs has necessitated a new approach to valuations, stock acquisition strategies and sales operations. In our next Auto Retail Live webinar we’ll examine these influences on the used car market and provide the insight needed to adapt your operations to ensure ongoing success. We’ll have Robert Forrester, CEO of Vertu, Rupert Pontin from AutoAPI and John Veichmanis, CEO of Carwow, all available online to discuss these topics, answer your questions and help you get ready for 2024. We’ll unpack the intricacies of new car supply and its ripple effect on the used car market. Our experts will help you plan for the influx of March plate-change trade-ins and discuss the impact agency agreements will have on used car retailing. The focus for this webinar will be to prepare retailers for the first quarter of 2024 up to and including the March plate-change and the increase in part-exchanges. Topics and questions for discussion include: •Market overview – where are we now (including economic factors) •Outlook for Q1 valuations (March plate change) •Influence of agency on used cars and trade-ins •New car supply pressure on used •Impact of rising EV mix and consumer demand •Consumer behaviour when changing cars

As 2023 draws to a close the new and used car markets look far more like those in the pre-pandemic world, but what does that mean for trading in 2024? Auto Retail Live’s Outlook for 2024 webinar on 12 December will examine this topic and reveal the results of the latest Auto Retail Barometer survey which tracks business sentiment. Our panel of experts will get into the detail of new car supply, the impact of the ZEV Mandate, consumer confidence and behaviour, used car values and look at the best metrics businesses should be using to make sure they’re on the right track for a profitable 2024. In our final Auto Retail Live of this year we’ll have James Brearley, COO at Peter Vardy, Jason Cranswick, COO at Marubeni Auto Investment UK, Peter Smyth from Swansway and Phill Jones, COO of Motors, all available online to discuss these topics, answer your questions and help you get ready for 2024. The focus for this webinar will be to prepare retailers for the topics set to dominate their business in the coming 12 months. Topics and questions for discussion include: •Market overview •Consumer behaviour in 2024 •Which KPIs should retailers monitor in 2024? •Likely vehicle supply scenarios under ZEV •Impact of rising EV mix on the retailer •Used car values outlook for early 2024

The UK market is witnessing an influx of new brands from China and around the world, all of which have significant aspirations, new ideas, exciting new products and represent an opportunity for retailers. Starting with a clean slate, these brands are well resourced, fast moving and have the opportunity to both put pressure on established brands and disrupt the traditional route to market. In our latest Auto Retail Live webinar, we’ll discuss what these brands have to offer retailers, how and when they’re likely to come to the UK and how electrification targets could give these new entrants an advantage. We will also review the success of the recent arrivals in the UK. Joining us on the panel are Mark Blundell, UK head of marketing for BYD, Chee-Kiang Lim, China managing director of Urban Science and Ian Plummer, commercial director of Auto Trader. They will share their knowledge and experience about the new brands and will be available to answer your questions online. Register HERE to join the webinar at 9.00 on Thursday 12th October Key topics for discussion include: Which brands are coming to the UK and when How the most recent arrivals are faring Why electrification is driving the number of new brands What retail models are the new entrants adopting and why Why would retailers work with these new brand

September’s plate change is upon us once again and for the first time since the pandemic the new car supply is being to look ‘normal’. Despite this background, economic pressures remain and consumers are increasingly careful about how they spend their money. This is countered by continuing used car stock shortages in some sectors and high prices and good margins. However, the exception is used electric vehicle sales which have gone through a price realignment as supply and demand begin to balance out. Discussing all these topics in our next Auto Retail Live Business Briefing, will be Lookers’ Duncan McPhee, eStar Truck and Van’s Steve Bridge and Auto Trader’s Marc Palmer. Led by Auto Retail Live chair Al Clarke, the panel will discuss what’s going on now and what’s expected to happen to UK auto retail in the next few months. Auto Retail Live examines the data, discuss hands-on experience and offer advice about how to get the most out of the first half of 2023. Key topics for discussion include: Has vehicle supply finally exceeded customer demand? Latest insight into used vehicle values Have used EV prices normalised? What do retailers need to do to adapt to EV sales? How to retain customers in economically tough times

Waves of change are disrupting the automotive industry, with deep and sudden impact. Consumers are now more demanding about how they expect to interact with dealers and OEMs digitally – how do retailers and manufacturers rise to this challenge? What tools, processes, and skillset are necessary to create a seamless customer journey from enquiry to purchase? What do modern consumers really want and need from today’s auto retailer in their buying journey – has digital transformation changed consumer behavior forever? Join us when we will discuss these issues and review the tools and skillset that today’s auto retailer needs to achieve in meeting consumer expectations and keep the customer experience relevant – now and in the future. Our expert panel for this webinar broadcast includes James Smullen, director of the award-winning retail group Wayland’s, Charlotte Murray, commercial director of Marketing Delivery, and former Head of Marketing at JCT600 and CEO of Keyloop, Tom Kilroy. Key discussion points: Where are we now – current landscape Understanding the customer journey and staying relevant to your customers What are the essential tools, processes, and skillset for today’s auto retailer? The key findings from the latest Keyloop market report – which viewers can download free of charge during the broadcast This Auto Retail Live broadcast, in partnership with Keyloop, will examine the customer journey from the perspective of the main stakeholders, looking at the systems involved and the latest technology, including how far we’ve come so far and what’s next for auto retail.

During the first half of 2023 total new car registrations have seen significant increases, however, retail sales have not been part of this rise. Used car values are still strong but EV supply into the market is still outstripping demand. Is the industry back to normal? And if not, when is that likely to happen? Inflation is still high and consumers are under increasing economic pressure as the cost of living rises. In this Auto Retail Live Business Briefing, we talk to Swansway’s Peter Smyth, Perrys’ Darren Ardron, and Auto Trader’s Karolina Edwards-Smajda about how retailers can combat these issues and what’s going on now and what’s expected to happen to UK auto retail in the next few months. Auto Retail Live, on Thursday 8 June, will examine the data, discuss hands-on experience and offer advice about how to get the most out of the second half of 2023. Our expert panel will also be available live to answer your questions to help you run a more successful business. Key topics for discussion include: Is new car market supply back to pre-pandemic normality? Are new car orders coming in fast enough? Used car pricing outlook – EV & ICE differences What’s the best approach to selling EVs?

With the March plate-change month out of the way, used car performance always comes to the fore as retailers look at how best to manage part exchanges. In this Auto Retail Live webinar we’ll be looking at how the first quarter has performed for used cars including average sales values, days to sell and gross profit per unit. We’ll discuss the outlook for used car values overall as well as why there’s instability in the EV market and what’s likely to happen to diesel values. Overall we aim to help you make more money selling used cars. On the show we’ll talk to Paul Hendy, chief executive of Hendy Group, Marc Thornborough from Auto Trader and John Law from RealTime Communication about used car market trends, how to measure performance and what you can do to improve your business. Key topics for discussion include: * First quarter used car market performance * How is Q2 likely to track * Why are EV values unstable * Which KPIs offer the best insight * What you can do to improve performance

Market performance indicators are giving mixed messages. New car registrations may be up, but retail sales are down. Used car profitability is still strong, but consumer confidence is weak. Short supply means aftersales could be under pressure, yet retailers still can’t find enough technicians. In our next Auto Retail Live Business Briefing, we’ll talk to George Ashford, CEO Inchcape Retail, Devonshire Motors’ Nathan Tomlinson, Mike Jones from Fresh Tracks, and Auto Trader’s Marc Palmer. Originally broadcast live from our Manchester studio we will discuss the latest trends, trading and what’s expected to happen to UK auto retail in the next few months. Our panel will examine the data, discuss hands-on experience, and offer advice about how to get the most out of the first half of 2023. Key topics for discussion include: Is the new car market returning to pre-pandemic normality? Used car pricing outlook Should you stop stocking used EVs? Customer retention tips in a tough market Aftersales pressures Our expert panel will also be available live to answer your questions to help you run a more successful business. Auto Retail Live is a series of business briefings produced in partnership with Auto Trader that will run throughout 2023.

Auto Retail Live: Future of aftersales New car sales have been down for three years, EVs are taking an increasing share of new car sales and the consumer has been hit by a cost of living crisis. So what does that mean for the future of aftersales? First broadcast on Tuesday, 15 November 2022 at 2pm. Our Auto Retail Live webinar, in partnership with REALtime Communications, will analyse and discuss these points to deliver the best advice. We’ll not just show how to stay profitable in the current economic climate, but how to really boost performance in aftersales. On Auto Retail Live’s Future of aftersales webinar we’ll have Sarah Brettle, director of Ford Customer Service Division, Robert Forrester, CEO of Vertu Motors, and John Law, Data and Insights director, REALtime Communications. The panel will analyse the market and answer your questions about how best to assess and then improve your aftersales business. Key topics for discussion include: What’s happened to the usual seasonal business model? And is this the new normal? Trends continuing to impact aftersales Which KPIs offer the best insight? And what to do with that information. How to best improve customer retention Is scale the only answer to rising EV uptake?